The Eclipse
by I dont want a name 51
Summary: A young Spartan must heed the call of the gods, abandoning his brothers in arms before the Battle of Thermopylae. As he left the awaiting massacre, Perseus realizes that fate has a lot more in store for him than the life of a soldier. His name will never make the history books, but his actions will.
1. I

**_Thermopylae, 480 B.C_**

"My King, the Persians have found the pass around the mountain, we'll be surrounded by sunrise." Leonidas listened to his most trusted lieutenant carefully, the words of the oracle replaying in his head.

"Perseus, you must go. You must leave this massacre and head west."

Leonidas said his words slowly and carefully and yet, he knew he was going to get an outburst of some sorts, that much was a guarantee if the shocked look on his face was anything to go by; Perseus was never one to back down from a fight, not since that wretched goddess 'blessed' him.

"My King, I cannot go. I cannot leave you all to die here while I live and run away like a coward - it's not in my blood."

Perseus knew he could be the deciding factor in any battle, any Spartan could, but Perseus was no average Spartan. He was easily the best fighter out of his three hundred brethren here at Thermopylae, his spars with Leonidas has proved as much. The blessing of Lupe and the blood of Poseidon ran rampant through his veins, he was more than ready to face whatever those Persian scum could throw at him.

"No Perseus, you must go. The oracle foretold that you would have a greater role to play in this world than dying here," Leonidas clasped Perseus' shoulder and handed him a spear, "You must."

"What greater role could I play in life than the one right here? The greatest honor I could have is to die along side you and the rest of Sparta's greatest warriors," Perseus took the spear from Leonidas' hands and immediately noticed the odd metal, "Silver and gold? Who could've forged such a blade?"

Leonidas looked Perseus dead in his sea green eyes, trying to show him the seriousness of the situation, "Perseus, I cannot tell you who forged it or why it was made, for I do not know. What I do know is that you cannot die here like the rest of us. The gods have greater plans for you my friend, your fate is out of either of our hands."

Perseus' realized that Leonidas wasn't leaving him an option in this. "If you don't make it Leonidas, I promise you one thing: your legacy, and the legacy of these warriors here, will run through me until the day I die. Even if I have to carry this great legacy for thousand millennia, Sparta's greatest warriors will not be forgotten. And I _will_ avenge you."

Leonidas let out a laugh, "That is good my friend, now go, you don't have much time to waste," Leonidas handed him his shield, "You're going to need something a little sturdier than that wooden crap you use if you're going to carry our legacy,"

Leonidas' expression suddenly turned solemn, "After tomorrow, it is not likely I will be needing it anyways."

"Whether you die tomorrow or not, you will dine in Elysium when your time comes, Leonidas. Your deeds here will be remembered throughout history, ballads and stories will be made of your greatness; legends will speak of the blood on your blades, and the bronze of your armour."

Leonidas muttered something about armour and motioned for Perseus to follow him. Perseus obeyed his king without question or doubt, willing to go to the depths of Hades if he told him to do so.

Leonidas took him to his tent and made sure nobody was watching before following him in, "For years, I had people scouraging the world in search of these pieces; it would have been a symbol of Sparta's power. However, these artifacts would do Sparta no good in the hands of the Persians."

Leonidas opened a chest and revealed the most beautiful set of armour Perseus had ever seen, "This armour belonged to Agis I, a son of Ares and one of Sparta's greatest warriors. Now, it belongs to you. I figured you'd need the celestial bronze this armour held if I'm not there to save you all the time."

Percy took note of every aspect of the armour, the helmet had a small metal plume on the top and was forged to cast a shadow over the wearer's eyes. The breastplate was a beautifully crafted piece of muscle armour, giving a look of immense fitness and strength. The bracers were simply made celestial bronze with a red velvet fabric wrapped around the metal. The greaves were even more basic than the gauntlets, but there was an air of beauty in its simplicity. The cape was made of a similar fabric as the gauntlets and looked long enough to drop down to his legs. Even seeing all of this, Perseus couldn't help keep a confused look off his face.

Leonidas noticed this look and let out a smile, "Yes I see you've noticed: the armour doesn't look a day old. I would give you a great explanation for that, except that I'm not entirely sure either. I've heard many rumors of Agis, some even more confusing than the last. Many believe that his armour was blessed by the gods, which gods, nobody knows. Some say Ares, some say Hephaestus; I've even heard one man say it was blessed by Aphrodite. Nobody except the gods know for sure. What I do know is that that armour has more enchantments than Andreas has bruises on his body," They both snickered at that, Andreas was a great warrior, but exceptionally clumsy.

Leonidas suddenly straightened up, "Enough of this, you go get your things ready, take any supplies you may need - better you than the Persians. I'll see you at the gates of Elysium my friend."

Perseus began to turn around before Leonidas stopped him, "Remember Perseus, while you may find blessings in disguise, you can also find curses disguised as blessings."

Perseus nodded and took the chest back to his tent, he had the feeling what Leonidas said to him were more than mere parting words of wisdom; he shook it off for now, he had more important things to deal with.

Perseus took anything that could be of use: his spear, a large pouch filled with silver drachmas and a smaller one filled with the golden variant, dagger and sword scabbards, and anything else that wouldn't weigh him down too much.

Perseus left his tent looking like a walking armoury. A sword sheathe was kept around his waist, holding his bronze xiphos, his new spear and shield were tied around his back. Perseus kept a few empty dagger scabbards scattered around his body just incase he found a knife he liked; so far, any dagger he's used felt unbalanced in his hand - Perseus figured he'd probably need to forge one himself if he wanted it right.

A bow and quiver could also be seen around his armour, however he didn't plan on using it anytime soon; ever since Orion had disrespected Artemis, all children of Poseidon had been cursed by the goddess of archery.

Perseus listened to the words of Leonidas and headed west, leaving without a trace. He didn't know how, but he felt the moon was guiding him towards his destination - feeding subconscious directions to his mind on where he needs to go.

Perseus followed this instinct, the moon guiding him to his unknown destination.

———

**_Delphi, 480 B.C_**

As Perseus walked along the road, he found his thoughts to be his only company in the dark night. His mind wandered to his childhood - if that's what you could call it. His father, Poseidon, had never been around; this was expected and accepted by Perseus, Poseidon was a god - a married one at that - and a king, he would have too many responsibilities to care for any mortals.

His mother was one of the few bright spots in his life. Perseus and his mother lived outside the city of Sparta, she had not wanted to marry a man and be tied down to her home forever, and thus, they resided in a small house a ways away from any towns or major cities. It was in that forest where Perseus learned how to hunt and forage at the young age of five, he vividly remembered the shocked look on his mother's face when he brought home a deer carcass, his small body barely able to lift it. Perseus hadn't known it then, but it was the godly side of his family that allowed him to even move the carcass, the inate strength of the gods running through his veins.

However, the life of a demigod was never one of such fine moments. After another attempt at surprising his mom with his uncanny hunting ability, he came home to find his house burned down and his mother's throat slit, blood still spewing out the wound. Perseus had been filled with anger and despair, he followed the tracks of whatever bandit could've done this, and hunted him like he would any other prey.

Perseus found the man nearly a mile away, slowing counting away the coins of his theft. Perseus stood nearly thirty feet away, hidden by the natural shrubbery and trees of the forest. He gripped his wooden spear, lead the throw with his right foot, and launched the weapon with as much force he could muster - which for a five year old, was quite a lot.

The spear struck true and pinned the man to the tree by the throat; he gave a few seconds of struggle before dying. That was the day that changed Perseus' entire life. He had spent the next few weeks grieving, living in the burnt remnants of his home, digging a grave for his mother. Even through the harsh winter, he stayed out in the cold, giving his mother the last rites she deserved.

Perseus finished burying his mother and had headed for Sparta where he would attempt to begin the agoge two years early. Perseus remembered how eager they were to have a son of Poseidon begin his training, but he also remembered the pain that came with the training. He rose through the ranks of Sparta's military in record time, his prowess and natural ability with weapons unmatched; even with the most unbalanced blade or shield, he still bested his foes.

By the young age of seventeen, Perseus had risen to Leonidas' right hand man, surpassing everyone before him not only in skill, but also tactics; many people suspected Perseus being a child of Ares or Athena before he would wash their suspicions away with a tidal wave.

It was when he was promoted Lupe had decided to bless him, the goddess of pain had been interested in his life since his mother had died. The goddess feeds off pain and misery and Perseus provided more than enough for her. She decided to take all pain directly away from him, siphoning it straight to herself. Since then, Perseus had never felt so much as a pinch, but the wounds still stayed.

He silently laughed to himself when he recalled the time he had been training with Calixto and decided to show off his new blessing. Perseus had stepped right into his blade and the sword lodged itself into his side. Calixto had freaked out, thinking he somehow had killed Perseus due to his lack of response. He soon heard Perseus' muffled snickers and backed away, utterly confused.

Perseus still doesn't fully understand the blessing. He still can feel everything he touched, but any sense of pain he had immediately leaves him anytime a blow lands on him. The weirdest part of it was the fact he could still feel what was supposed to cause him pain, but all he felt instead was the cold metal of the weapon.

Perseus walked off the road and went to rest for the night, he knew he was close to whatever was calling him, but he had no clue to what it could be.

Perseus laid down against the bark of a tree and looked up to the moon, which seemed to be glowing silver tonight, before falling asleep.

**There's chapter 1, I know it's not the most exciting start for a new story but you have to introduce your character somewhere. For this story I plan on updating once every weekend (I often publish multiple times a week as ideas flood my brain.) with 2-3k words per chapter. My goal for this story is to not have anything too cliche or unoriginal, this story will consist of mostly new ideas, using ideas of my own and ideas contributed by fans. **


	2. II

**Delphi, 480 B.C**

As Perseus groggily woke up, he began to recount what he could of his dream before it left him. He remembered seeing someone, training to no end in the dark of night, golden flames dancing in his eyes. He recalled the fact that - that he couldn't remember the rest.

Perseus frustratedly got up, annoyed that whatever god showed him these images wouldn't even allow him to remember them. Perseus got ready to continue his trek to wherever this god that was calling him when he realized there was a flaw in his plan: there was no moon to guide him.

As the thought formed in his head, the same sense of direction returned to Perseus. He looked up and saw the sun glowing golden. With that problem solved, Perseus began to stretch, hearing the many pops and cracks that a night sleeping in armour would cause.

He started to walk down the road once more when he heard a swishing sound above him. Perseus immediately pulled out his shield and reached for his new spear. The sound could be a bird, but he already took that risk once in his youth, and the outcome wasn't favorable.

A small, barely noticeable rustle came from a bush to his right. Without hesitation, Perseus turned to face whatever was trying to kill him today. The bush rustled once more and out came - a squirrel? Perseus laughed to himself and turned back around, only to come face to face with a set of talons.

Perseus tried to move out the way but he wasn't fast enough, blood started leaking from a gash on his right arm. Perseus ignored the wound and faced his enemy.

He faced a female woman with snakes for hair and a pair of small bat wings sprouting from her back; a gorgon. Perseus recalled what he could about these monsters; sisters of Medusa, their names were Stheno and Eurayle, can be sent to Tartarus - that was about it.

Perseus started circling the gorgon, spear and shield infront of him, when he realized something, "Weren't there two of you?"

The gorgon infront of him only let out a toothy smile in response. The hairs on the back of Perseus' neck stood up and he immediately thrust his spear backwards, the small, cone shaped, golden point immediately connecting with something. Perseus turned around just in time to see one of the gorgon sisters dissolve into golden dust, "Would you look at that, there _is_ only one of you."

The second gorgon, who he was still trying to figure whether she was Stheno or Eurayle, screeched in rage and charged him. Perseus could've assumed the rage-induced charge was caused by watching her sister die, but he just put it down to her being a dumb monster.

Putting as much force as possible into his strike, Perseus bashed the monster with his shield, knocking her out of the air and sending her flying towards the ground. Before she could get up, he launched his spear at it, the gold and silver weapon was a blur in the air before it ended up in the mouth of the gorgon.

Perseus picked his weapon off the ground and cleaned away any residual monster dust before he set back off.

He began to ponder how the weapon was able to kill the gorgon, it was not made of celestial bronze and to Perseus' knowledge, celestial bronze was the only metal able to kill the monsters of Tartarus. He was brought out of his thoughts by the small dripping sound that has been following him around.

Perseus looked behind him and saw a trail of blood; soon after, he noticed the warm feeling around his bicep and put two and two together. As Perseus looked at his arm, he remembered when one of the gorgons had injured him while he was distracted by a squirrel and silently cursed himself. He hadn't realized the feeling in his head was not only from whatever god has been guiding him, but also from the loss of blood.

Perseus went off the trail and extended his senses, using his innate powers from his father to find a source of water. Perseus found one by Mount Parnassus and immediately headed off in that direction.

Perseus neared a stream, hidden from the world behind thick trees and large bushes. Perseus climbed onto one of the trees and started jumping across from branch to branch, until he finally reached the stream.

Perseus raised some water to his arm and held it there, using his own powers to help accelerate the healing process. He watched in odd satisfaction as his arm stitched itself back together, removing any trace that he was injured in the first place.

When the process finished, Perseus stood up shakily; healing with his powers from Poseidon always drained him more than using them for destruction. When he steadied himself, he realized that his sense of direction had left him.

Suddenly, the same sense slammed into him like a quadriga, giving Perseus the first headache he's had in years. Every muscle in his body was telling him one thing: go up.

Perseus wasn't one to argue with himself and began to trek up Mount Parnassus. As he climbed higher and higher, the same feeling continued to grow stronger and stronger, which really unsettled Perseus, seeing that he could actually feel it growing sharper.

After a day of climbing, he reached the summit and the now excruciating pain in his head dissipated. He took this time to look at the world around him and enjoy the beautiful view; a life of a soldier doesn't grant many opportunities for yourself, and Perseus has learned how to enjoy every spare moment.

All around him were breathtaking views of the world; he saw rolling hills, mountains that rose up into the sky, lines of trees that seemed to go on for eternity, and the Corinthian Gulf, which could be seen in the distance.

Through his sightseeing, Perseus had failed to notice the golden beam of light descending straight from the sun itself. The light hit the young demigod and encompassed his vision, blinding him completely as he felt his entire body shift and change - he was sure that some level of excruciating pain would have been involved if not for his blessing.

Suddenly, everything went black, and Perseus lost consciousness.

**Well there's chapter two, a little bit of a filler but who cares. I know I said I was going to be updating every weekend and I apologize for missing said deadline. I know it's not an excuse but being sick and having finals isn't the most ideal time for writing. You guys can expect a longer chapter on this weekend when my life calms down a bit. Also, highlight of my week, my favorite author on this app IDKHowToWritePlzHelp was the first to review this story and I can't even begin to say how ecstatic I am, anyone reading this should go check out his story "The Spartan" it's a great read and is amazingly well written**


	3. III

**_???, ???_**

Perseus opened his eyes, the same dream had been playing in his head, however there were a few different details. The man's eyes weren't glowing golden, instead, they shone a silver light as bright and strong as the moon itself. He wielded a sword with an inscription that said... the inscription... he can't remember.

He could recall the metal of the weapon was different, it looked like... like... he doesn't know what it looked like.

Frustrated once again, he angrily wiped the sleep from his eyes and took in his surroundings, what he saw made him question whether he was still dreaming.

He was standing on a black floor that felt like marble beneath his feet and stretched farther than his eyes could see. It seemed to be one singular piece of whatever rock it was carved from and was polished well enough to be used as a mirror.

In the distance was what seemed to be the sun, glowing in all of its golden glory - but that couldn't be right. It didn't seem to be real, but the heat and light emitting from it erased many doubts formed inside his head.

Perseus turned around and saw what looked like the moon, directly parallel to the sun and shining silver. The moon, just like the sun, rose up from the ground, breaking over the horizon as if it were rising across the sea.

Perseus looked up and became star struck. Across the black sky - if that even was the sky - were stars spanning farther than he could see, glittering like a thousand different jewels, each a different color than the last; he questioned whether some of them were even real colors. Perseus looked at this breathtaking world in awe, he didn't know places like this even existed.

Without warning, the ground started shaking, the sun and moon rose higher into the sky, and the world started spinning. Perseus looked around for his helmet, but realized he left it on Mt Parnassus

The sun and moon grew even brighter, and the world continued to spin faster and faster to the point that Perseus was barely able to keep his balance. The stars grew in accordance to the sun and moon, blazing across the sky in a feeble attempt to brighten the never ending darkness that spans across the plane.

The two parallel celestial bodies in the sky continued their seemingly endless mission to illuminate the dark plane, glowing so brightly that Perseus was no longer able to see.

Perseus shut his eyes tight and pulled his spear and shield off his back, ready to defend himself if need be. Even through his shut eyelids, Perseus was still able to see the golden glow on his left, and the silver on his right.

Suddenly, everything stopped, and the sound of footsteps resonated around him. Perseus opened his eyes and everything seemed to be back to normal, if you chose to ignore the two heavily armed, ten foot tall people walking towards him.

On Perseus' left was a man fully clad in heavy golden armour and all sorts of different blades, however he lacked a helmet, letting Perseus see the man's golden eyes and the flames that surrounded his body.

On his left was a woman who seemed to be the exact opposite of the man across from her. She wore a silver armour that at least _looked _lighter than Golden Boy's. She held a silver bow in her hands that seemed to have its own light emitting from it.

Perseus looked down at his own weaponry and realized the two metals of his spear had begun glowing, giving Perseus a sneaking suspicion as to who made the strange weapon.

"This is the one?" Perseus turned to his left to face the man and slightly lowered his weapons, curiousity taking over.

"Yes brother, he is the one you saw." Perseus held back a groan, a brother and sister that had been stalking him, just what he needed.

As those thoughts formed in his head, the woman nocked an arrow in her bow and the man let out a chuckle, Perseus was only able to guess that they somehow read his mind.

"Yes Perseus, we can read your mind, I particularly enjoyed the 'Golden Boy' comments you made about my brother." Great, they've been listening, and they know his name, he made a mental note to limit his thinking - if that was possible.

Golden Boy frowned, "Yes she usually does enjoy people making fun of me. Anyways Perseus, I assume that you are wondering why we brought you here, but first, tell me, do you know where here is?"

Perseus raised his shield as he looked around him, still slightly wary of an attack, "Space?"

"Yes, but no. You are in the Astral Plane. The home of my brother Helios and I."

Gears could be seen turning in Perseus' head as his mind processed the information. He was in the Astral Plane, a place he's never heard of, in the company of Helios and who he could assume was Selene.

Perseus looked back down at his spear and everything fell into place, "What do you want from me?"

Helios laughed again, he seemed to be the more relaxed of the two, "I like him, he knows who and what we are, and yet, he doesn't fear nor respect us. Even if he wasn't the one, I think I'd go through with this anyways. Tell me Perseus, why do you not fear us?"

Perseus could think of multiple reasons off the top of his head, "If you kill me, what is the use of facing that death with fear clouding my mind? I do not fear death, I will likely die if you were to fight me, but I have the clarity of knowing I will rejoin my fellow Spartans in Elysium."

Helios absently nodded, as if he already knew all of this, "Yes but I believe there is another reason that you are holding, hidden behind your Spartan views and ideals, buried so deep that even I have trouble seeing it, and yet, I can see you won't tell me."

Perseus just shrugged, Helios was right, immortal or not, Perseus doesn't treat people any different based on who they are; if they wanted to know something, they'd need his respect first.

Selene was the one to laugh this time, "It appears he doesn't respect you brother, you owe me drachmae."

Helios grumbled under his breath, "Yes, yes you'll get your money. Now hurry it up, Apollo is flying the sun chariot and he seems to have spent the last night with Dionysus."

This apparently was a big deal and Selene struggled to hide her laughter, "I'm so happy I got Artemis. Come Perseus, we have a lot to explain."

**_Palace of The Sun, Astral Plane_**

Perseus walked through the halls of the golden palace, which Helios had claimed was the original palace, not the 'knock off bachelor pad that the idiotic excuse for a sun god' uses.

In his short time here, Perseus picked up on a blatantly obvious annoyance that Helios feels whenever Apollo is mentioned; he figured that Selene got the better end of the deal when Apollo and Artemis were appointed as gods of the sun and moon.

Perseus walked through the halls of the grand palace, seeing the various and odd rooms the Titan of the Sun held. He followed the two Titans to the throne room, where Helios and Selene sat in their own thrones. Perseus didn't see anything for him to sit on and realized he was supposed to be bowing on a knee. He just shrugged and continued to stand, spear and shield still in hand; Perseus figured that they'll think of him as impertinent, and they wouldn't be wrong.

"Now Perseus, onto business," any smile that the semi-cheery sun god had vanished, "I have seen the future of this world, and even while The Fates cloud my vision, I can clearly see that something threatens all life as we know it.

"I've searched for many ways to combat this rising threat, and all visions lead me to the city of Sparta, but nothing more. Then I overheard Apollo's oracle foretell you to have a great importance in the world and I knew you were the one I was looking for.

"I followed your life from a young boy with interest, your will, your selflessness, your surprising humbleness, your skill, all of these confirmed my suspicions. And after a long decade of planning, you're here. It appears that, as usual, Apollo was wrong; prophecies and fate can be fought and twisted - nothing is set in stone."

Perseus processed all of this information, Leonidas was right, he did have a greater role in the world than a soldier.

Helios' golden eyes started glowing, "As you live through the centuries, your power and role in the world will grow. You will become more than strong enough to fight the rising threat, this much is clear to me, and yet, your fate will not be complete. Interesting. I will admit, I am curious about your future, but all I can see is a darkness, as if your future exists in an eternal night."

Perseus knew one of Helios' domains to be sight, but he became curious to how far the Titan could see.

"What do you mean 'through the centuries?'If you hadn't noticed Helios, I am mortal, we tend to die far earlier than that, and only the Olympian council can grant immortality."

Both Helios and Selene laughed at Perseus' comment, "We are Titans Perseus, we could care less to what the Olympians allow. If you agree to this fate, our combined blessings will make you partially immortal; you will walk the Earth, immune to old age and disease until you are slain in combat."

Perseus didn't see an option for himself here, he had a role to play in this world, he had a duty. He wasn't able to help his brothers at Thermopylae, but maybe this could make up for it, "I accept this fate, to live eternally and fulfill the duty that The Fates have laid before me

Helios and Selene stood up from their thrones, "Brace yourself Perseus." A hollow sun and crescent moon emblazoned above Perseus' head - the symbols of Helios and Selene.

Suddenly, his entire body felt fuzzy. He assumed some form of extreme pain and agony was supposed to follow the granting of their blessing, but as usual, he didn't feel it. Perseus guessed the experience was about as weird for him as it was for the two immortals watching.

When the feeling went away, all the air left Perseus' lungs as his eyes started changing colors. His right iris turned silver and his left became a deep gold. Using the floor as a makeshift mirror, Perseus watched two colors through blurred vision as they continued to swap back and forth between irises until they finally reverted to their original sea green.

Selene watched all of this with curiosity, "That was interesting. Come Perseus, we'll teach you how to use your new powers and asses your skills before we send you back to your world; you better pick your spear off the ground, _Golden Boy_ doesn't like weapons in the throne room."

Perseus followed Selene and Helios out the throne room, eager to learn his newfound powers and leave. As beautiful as the world he was in, he felt out of place, as if he walked into a stranger's household."

Perseus followed them out the palace and into an arena, fully stocked with anything you could need. He looked around and saw straw dummies, archery targets, a designated area for sparring, and many other objects he doesn't recognize.

Perseus remembered that there were many things located around the palace that he didn't understand when he looked upon them. He got the odd feeling that they were too advanced for him; either that or Helios has a strange taste in design, Perseus assumed the latter, but he couldn't tell with the Titan.

Selene brought Perseus to the sparring area, "Come Perseus, Helios will test your skill with your weapons of choice."

Perseus walked into the large area drawn out in the ground where the fight was assumed to take place, drawing his spear and shield.

Perseus preferred his spear and Leonidas' shield because they were the only weapons he held that felt balanced in his hand; unlike his sword, knives, or bow, which all felt awkward and annoying to use.

Helios unsheathed two golden swords and walked into the circle. As Perseus sized the Titan up, he realized the metal of Helios' armour and weapons were the same as the gold on his spear, which confirmed his suspicions of where it came from.

Without a word, both he and Helios started circling one another, waiting for the other opponent to make the first move. Surprisingly, it was Helios to attack first, charging Perseus and coming down in a lightning fast overheard strike with both of his blades.

Perseus was quick to block the attack, but the force applied sent the son of Poseidon stumbling back. Perseus realized that unlike his usual battles, he was not stronger than his opponent, and it wasn't likely he was going to be faster; however, his dexterity, smaller size, and battle experience could prove to help his cause.

Perseus and Helios went back and forth, Helios attacking with quick and powerful strikes while Perseus dodged his way away from the Titan as he formed a plan. Small cuts and gashes could be seen anywhere armour wasn't covering his body, but of course, Perseus never noticed them, too focused on dodging Helios' never ending assault.

Helios charged once again, seeming to go for the same strike once again and a plan formed inside his head - it was a bad plan, but a plan all the same. Perseus charged back, holding his spear over his head. Waiting until he was barely eight feet away, Perseus planted his spear into the ground and used it as a pole vault.

Perseus flew over Helios, twisted his body mid air, and slammed his shield into Helios' head. Perseus watched as Helios staggered around and fell onto his rump, holding his head in his hands. Perseus unsheathed his sword from his waist and held the point at his neck, "I believe I win."

Helios groaned and attempted to stand up, which immediately backfired for him. As the Titan of the Sun fell back to the ground, a loud laughter could be heard from Selene; Perseus attempted to hide his own laughter in respect of the fight, but despite his best efforts, small snickers could be heard from his covered mouth.

Helios finally got up and grumbled something about removing immortality before walking away, going off to gods know where. Selene tried to stifle her own laughter and motioned Perseus to follow her, going to the one place he dreaded the most: the archery range.

Perseus accepted his fate and unslung his bow off his back and nocked an arrow. The bow wasn't anything of note, just a piece of wood with a sinew bowstring. Perseus thought it was probably best to give Selene a warning, "You might want to take cover behind something."

Selene took it as a joke and stood next to him. Perseus just shrugged his shoulders, "Your funeral."

Perseus drew the arrow back, held his breath, and released. Perseus looked around for where the arrow could've landed, but didn't see it anywhere along the sandy ground in the arena.

Perseus assumed the worst and turned around, it wasn't long until he found his arrow. It was embedded in the foot of an astonished Selene. "To be fair, I did warn you."

Surprisingly enough, all Selene did was start laughing, "Artemis wasn't kidding when she said a curse was set on sons of Poseidon."

Selene waved her hand and Perseus felt something leave him, "There, now try to hit the target."

Perseus didn't believe the curse was gone but decided to give it a go anyways, it wouldn't be him that gets hit with an arrow. He nocked another arrow and let it loose. Surprisingly enough it hit the outer rim of the target.

Perseus looked at the target in shock, he had trouble believing that the arrow actually went in the right direction.

Selene yanked the arrow out of her foot and walked away, "Come Perseus, you have been in this world for too long, you will have to learn your new abilities by yourself."

Perseus followed Selene back to the palace, wondering how he would get back home. They walked into the throne room where Helios sat, still rubbing his head.

Selene walked up to Helios and whispered something in his ear, Helios absently nodded and stood up, "Perseus, while I do wish we could've taught you more about your powers, there are outside forces that won't permit your presence here any longer.

"Use the spear Perseus, it will be a catalyst for your power until you can control them yourself. I forged it myself using hardened rays of sunlight and moonlight. The metals were fused together in the heart of the sun and cooled on the dark side of the moon, it will help you."

Helios and Selene raised their hands and a gold and silver light descended unto Perseus. As the light covered his vision, Perseus lost all consciousness and slipped into darkness.

**There's chapter 3 for y'all. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't really have anything else to say besides I hope you all have a great day.**


	4. IV

**_Mount Parnassus, 479 B.C_**

Perseus woke up from a strangely dreamless sleep and immediately noticed two things. The first thing he found was his helmet, which was completely covered in dust and dirt. As Perseus wiped his helmet clean, his stomach growled furiously, and his mouth felt as dry as the dust and rocks around him.

The next thing he noticed was the woman dressed in a brown shawl, stoking a flame. The woman turned to face him and he was met with a pair of soft, brown eyes, "I was beginning to think you weren't going to wake."

Perseus eyed the woman carefully and took note that the flames in her eyes weren't merely reflections from the fire next to her. "Well that surely would've been a bummer for me."

The woman chuckled lightly, "Quite." She motioned to a spot infront of her, "Please, sit."

Perseus shrugged, he already had been laying down, what's the difference compared to staying in the firelight.

He sat across the woman as she continued to stoke the flames, Perseus felt the need to help her along and grabbed a stick laying near him.

The woman smiled, "Most people would have been more than keen to let the woman to the menial work."

Perseus shrugged once more, "I wasn't raised like most people, in the few years I was with her, my mother taught to respect woman, and I will never go against her wishes."

The woman seemed to be suprised by his answer, "And what of your father? Had he taught you the same manners?"

He shook his head, "My father, Poseidon, is likely too busy to care about his mortal children - I have never met him. I don't hold it against him, and neither did my mother, but I am curious as to what he would've said to me in my youth."

He saw a flash of anger in the woman's eyes, but it was quickly covered up by curiousity, "You talk about your mother in the past tense, did something happen."

Perseus hung his head. He couldn't look the woman in her eyes, they reminded him too much of his mother's, "She died when I was five, a bandit broke into our home and killed her for a couple coins. I tracked the man down and threw a spear into his throat. I had spent the entire winter burying her; even with the strength given to me by my father, it took me months to dig the hole."

The woman looked disturbed - but accepting given the circumstances - that a boy would do that, "You've had a hard life Perseus, and I apologize for that." At the mention of his name, bells started ringing in his head, he hadn't given it to her before hand, and only people that wanted to kill him knew it.

Under regular circumstances, he'd already have an assortment of blades at the person's throat, ready to fight everything within a hundred mile radius, but he stayed his battle ready hands. Nothing this woman had done gave him a reason to think of her as hostile.

The woman smiled as she saw his internal conflict, she knew the type of reaction she'd get, but she risked her well being to mention him by name. "Well if you know my name, it'd be only fair for me to learn yours."

"My name is Hestia."

At the mention of her name Perseus decided to bow his head in respect, a rare thing to receive from the impertinent demigod.

"Interesting, from what I hear, you have as many manners as a drunken sailor, and yet you bow to me - the weakest of the children of Kronos and Rhea - why?"

Perseus shrugged once more, he seemed to be doing a lot of that recently, "Strength isn't everything. I respect someone for who they are, not by their power or abilities. Xerxes has the grandest army in the known world, but I do not respect him, nor do I fear him - not as a warrior or a person."

Hestia nodded, as if she got the answer she had been looking for. As she opened her mouth to talk, Perseus' stomach grumbled loudly.

Hestia chuckled and waved her hand. Perseus was waiting for some sign of godly magic to appear when, without warning, a feast fit for an army appeared infront of him. He graciously thanked the goddess and began to chow down on various breads, cheeses and meats.

She smiled at the famished demigod, "Eat as much as you'd like. You need some food inside of you after being asleep for over a year."

Perseus choked on the water he had been drinking, "_A year?"_

Hestia laughed at Perseus, "Yes, it seems your transition from the Astral Plane was too much for your body, it needed rest after being sent between two dimensions. To be completely honest, I'm suprsised you even woke up at all, most demigods wouldn't have survived the experience.

Perseus made a mental note to yell at Helios in an offering.

"I suppose it's due to your strength, your aura - even for a child of the Big Three - is exceptionally strong. As much as I despised Heracles, his aura is the only one I could relatively compare it to.

Hestia squinted her eyes, as if she were trying to get a better look at him, "I'm not much for fighting, but even I can tell the raw power that churns inside you is far stronger than usual. I believe Helios was right, you could be the one."

Perseus thanked Hestia for the compliment, he didn't truly believe his powers were that strong, but he figured he could trust the word of a goddess. Perseus began to eat again when something prodded at his mind, "Hestia, why do you despise Heracles? I've heard many stories about him - they are quite impressive - but I don't recall him doing anything despicable ."

Hestia's cheerful mood turned sour at the question and the fire turned sickly shade of green. Perseus made a note to not get on her bad side, which Heracles has obviously failed to do.

"It might be better if I were to show you." Hestia tapped Perseus on the forehead and a plethora of images surged through his brain. He saw a woman, a sword, Heracles, and a name: Zoë Nightshade. More and more of these images found their way into his mind until he had the complete picture of what happened.

As the story had played inside his head, Perseus struggled to keep his powers in check; the water in the cups began to swirl, the ground started to shake and a storm began brewing above them. Thunder and lightning cracked throughout the night sky, illuminating the darkness that surrounded them.

It took Perseus a minute to realize that he had been causing all of these changes and he immediately reeled in his anger. Hestia looked to Perseus with an eyebrow raised, as if saying, '_Do you believe in your power now?' _Perseus had to admit, she made a compelling argument.

As Perseus continued to think about what Hestia had shown him, more questions popped into existence, "What happened to the sword? It was never mentioned in any tales of Heracles I've heard before."

Hestia sighed and took a bronze hairpin out of her hair, the hairpin transformed into a three foot long celestial bronze xiphos. "The sword was called _Anaklusmos_, forged of mortal and celestial bronze, I had taken it away from the demigod and attempted to return it to its rightful owner, but Zoë no longer wanted it - she claimed it reminded her of _him_.

"Thus, I kept it, waiting for the right person to come along and wield the weapon." Hestia handed Perseus the sword, "I believe I have found that person."

Shocked, he slowly took the blade and felt the weight in his hand: perfectly balanced. When the sword had reached his hand, something began nagging at him in the back of his mind, it was at the forefront of his consciousness, but he couldn't seem to connect the dots. Suddenly, it hit him, "The war! Hestia, did Leonidas survive the battle? How has the war progressed?"

Hestia shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry Perseus, but any Spartan at Thermopylae were killed soon after you left. No one survived. The war has moved to Plataea where both Greek and Persian armies are amassing; if you hurry, you can reach them before the fighting starts."

Throwing all notions of respect to the wind, Perseus got up and put on his helmet. He tossed his old sword to the side and inserted _Anaklusmos _into the sheathe. Saying his thanks, he began to scale down Mount Parnassus in a hurry, he had a score to settle.

**_Plataea, July, 479 B.C_**

Perseus reached Plataea well before the fighting started, what he found disgusted him. Pausanias, the nephew of Leonidas, had stationed his troops atop the mountains, along with troops from all over Greece, and waited for some sign from the gods to start the fight, as if the blood of his fellow Spartans wasn't enough.

Perseus watched from a distance as he heard whispers of retreat. He's had enough, if these _soldiers _wouldn't fight the Persians, he will. Wielding _Anaklusmos_ and Leonidas' shield, he made his way down the mountain, strolling past the Greek armies in a deafening silence.

All eyes were on Perseus as he walked down the hill, he could hear the whispers behind him, asking about his shield, his armor, who he was, and where he came from, but he wouldn't give them any answers.

When he made it to the bottom of the hill, the Persian Calvary started making their way towards him, each soldier looking for an easy kill they wouldn't get. As the first horse neared, he blocked an arrow sent at him and slashed the legs off the horse, killing both animal and rider. The first blood was spilled, and it won't be the last.

Behind Perseus, the Greek armies started to retreat, not willing to hold their position without food or water. Seeing this, the Persian leader Mardonius sent his entire army forward, hoping to crush what was left of Greece in a single battle. Both armies met in the middle and the fighting began.

None of this mattered to Perseus, he had a duty to fulfill and a promise to keep.

Perseus continued his march forward, killing any soldier that dared to come near him. His vision was tainted red and he was barely able to discern friend from foe as he cut down anything that came too close.

Perseus began to cut a clear path to Mardonius and his personal guard; Persians began to fall left and right, their skill completely outmatched.

A stray arrow found its way into Perseus' arm and pierced his skin. Perseus stared the Persian archer down as he pushed the arrow through and yanked it out, taking a smug satisfaction at the scream of terror he received in response.

Instinctively, he held his hand to hole in his arm and watched as a golden fire moved from his fingertips to the wound, cauterizing it within seconds. '_Look at that_,' Perseus thought, '_I'm already learning how to use these new powers_'

Perseus continued moving forward, slaughtering hundreds - if not thousands - of Persians as he made his way to his goal: Mardonius. These soldiers were barely an after thought compared to the general.

After over an hour of fighting, he made it within twenty feet of the esteemed Persian war hero when he noticed Mardonius was making preparations to retreat. Not wanting for his prey to get away he picked up the nearest thing near him and hurled it at his head.

Not realizing what he had thrown, Perseus watched as a rock sailed through the air, inching ever so closer to his target. After what felt like an eternity, the rock hit true and knocked Mardonius off his horse, unmoving.

Perseus struggled to contain his laughter at the anticlimactic end to Mardonius' life; to conquer a majority of Greece, only to die from a rock.

Perseus helped clean up the few Persians that hadn't ran away at the death of their general and dissapeared through the crowd, not wanting to draw any attention. Everyone believes him to have died in Thermopylae, and if he were to be living for centuries, it was best his identity is unknown.

Perseus began to walk away from the battlefield, not knowing what his life has in store for him, but hoping that under the guiding light of Helios, it wouldn't be too boring.

**There's chapter 4, hope you enjoyed it, I don't think I have ever learned more about the Greco-Persian war in my life than I had writing this chapter. I know Riptide wasn't bronze and celestial bronze but I needed a way for the sword to kill mortals and celestial bronze doesn't do that. And yes, Mardonius is a real general and did actually did from a rock to the head. Also, do you know how utterly annoying it is to not use words that have any connection to modern day society, cause y'know, those things weren't invented/discovered in 480 B.C.**

**If you guys can't tell, I will be having Perseus playing key roles throughout history, being parts of major events and deaths. If you guys want me to go after a specific person or fight a war, lmk in your reviews or PM me and I'll be sure to include it (doesn't even have to be a war, could be just some natural disaster, which I have a few planned). Just make sure it's after 479 B.C. Before anyone asks, no I will likely not be doing the life of Jesus, it's a _Greek mythology_ story, and Jesus kinda goes against that. **


	5. V

**_Sparta, 462 B.C_**

The smell of pine filled Perseus' nose as he walked into the forest he once called home. Perseus was glad for the break Helios has granted him; since the battle at Plataea, it's always been 'go kill this' and 'go destroy that,' he had to admit, he was beginning to start liking Selene a lot more than her brother.

Selene, for her part, at least attempted to help Perseus in more ways than keeping him occupied. She often helped him improve his archery through his dreams and, surprisingly enough, he has been able to translate them to the real world fairly well.

However, neither of the two immortals have taught Perseus to understand their blessing. He was willing to give them the benefit of doubt and place it on the ancient laws, but there was another, very likely scenario: they forgot. Perseus wouldn't put it past either of them to completely forget about granting their most powerful blessings to date.

He wasn't sure as to why the two Titans never left the Astral Plane, it wasn't as if they were hated by the gods. Anytime he asked, they would either deflect the question or ignore it completely. The best answer he got was they were in a situation similar to him, and that came from a drunken Helios who wanted Perseus to sacrifice more wine.

Perseus hoped to use this time to understand the powers given to him, he figured controlling the power of the sun and moon could come in handy at some point in his life. Unfortunately he had no idea how he was going to do such a thing. He had no experience in things like this. His control over water was basically implemented in his brain at birth, and his blessing from Lupe wasn't something he could control.

Perseus stopped dead in his tracks. Could he control the blessing? Admittedly, he had never tried, or even thought about it before. It would be something worth exploring in time, which, according to Helios, he'll have a lot of.

He started walking again and decided to take his time before reaching his childhood home, choosing to recall the good memories before they're all soured.

A small smile was barely visible from under his helmet as he ran his hand along the bark of a tree. He remembered the time where his mother chased him up this very tree when he refused to indulge in his seemingly pointless studies - he was to be a warrior, not a poet. Now he realized that it was the knowledge he learned was what made him a warrior and not a barbarian.

The forest opened into a small clearing with a pond, which he vividly remembered; how could he not? It was where he first discovered his proud heritage. His mother had tried to keep it hidden from him in an attempt to keep them safe from monsters, but she never realized that all monsters aren't mythological.

For old times sake, he lifted the water of the pond into the air, finding it effortless compared to when he had first attempted it. His powers have grown exponentially throughout the years, that much he can tell, what he can't tell is where he's at.

Perseus' thoughts quickly went the other way when he found his first training dummy laying across the dirt; he became as giddy as when he was first given the straw target. His mother had wanted him to be ahead of his class at the agoge and began his training when he was first able to hold a sword, which was surprisingly young.

Perseus noticed quite a few marks that he hadn't remembered being there before, likely from animals. He always found a certain satisfaction in using his perfect memory to compare items from his past to their present state.

As he walked into another clearing that held the ruins of his former home, a sad smile graced his features. He remembered the way his mother always looked down at him before he went to bed, her hazel eyes always shining with love and happiness. Perseus felt his anger rise as he recalled her life being snuffed so short, all because someone was too lazy to make their own money.

Perseus was so enamored with his memories, he hadn't noticed the figure hunched down next to the grave at the front of the house, digging ever so slowly. His former anger multiplied a thousand fold as he realized what was happening: someone was robbing his mother's grave. The grave he dug when he was a boy, the grave of the one woman he's ever loved.

His powers began to go off erratically; storms brewed, the ground shook, the once dim moonlight intensified, it seemed as if the world was ending.

Coming off Perseus' body was a cold, silver light. The temperature dropped so drastically that the plant life around him began to wither and die; shriveling down to black stubs until they blew away in a cloud of dust. Each step he took destroyed more and more around him.

He reached the man who had backed up against the wall in fear; the only thing he was able to see under his armour and helm was the fury his now silver irises held.

With one hand, he picked up the scrawny man by the throat and began to take him away from the clearing, not wanting to desecrate his mother's grave with his blood.

Perseus took him over a mile away before slamming him into the ground, the pain bringing the semiconscious man back to reality. Unfortunately for him, Perseus wasn't even started.

He pulled _Anaklusmos _out of its sheathe and stabbed it into the man's gut. The man screamed as if his entire body was being ripped apart by an earthquake - which it was.

Perseus pushed his blade hilt deep into the man, but he didn't stop there. He forced the hilt through the man's skin and bones, all the way into the dirt.

He continued to channel earthquakes into the blade, hell bent on ripping the man apart from the inside out, even after death. He wanted to leave no remnant of his existence besides the memory his friends and family held. Thanks to an unintentional bit of golden fire, his mission was accomplished.

Perseus took a few deep breaths, the red tint that covered his vision went away, and his now sea green eyes were opened to the world around him.

Everything in front of him was completely decimated; the ground was displaced and cracked, the trees were uprooted and had fallen haphazardly, any plant life was either ripped up from the ground or shriveled and dead.

None of this particularly bothered Perseus, not what he did to the man nor the wildlife, but he feared he could've caused much bigger problems.

Perseus sprinted out the forest, worried about where the earthquakes could've headed. If he was facing the direction he thinks he was...

He reached the edge of the forest and worst fears were realized, but he had to see the destruction for himself to believe it.

He ran for miles on end, the constant clinking of his armour annoying him the whole way. He ran up the hill and stared at the grand city of Sparta, or what was left of it.

The entire city was in ruin. Buildings, temples, houses, farms, everything. It was all just rubble. Perseus heard the sound of chuckling off to his right and faced a golden apparition.

"Laugh it up Helios, we'll see what happens the next time you give me a task."

Perseus threw a small stone at the ghostly form of his patron, hoping to knock the smile off his face. Sadly, the image of Helios only shimmered a small bit, but the disturbed look on Helios' face was more than enough compensation.

"While I admit, watching you run for miles was fun, I'm laughing for another reason entirely." Helios motioned towards the city infront of him, "You still don't see the whole picture. You just destroyed an entire city with only your will and a large amount of anger, the city of Sparta no less.

"As I have been saying for years, you, Perseus, have unlimited potential, and I mean that in the fullest sense possible. Tell me, why do you think Zeus is always so hesitant to grant partial immortality? He'd rather transform a powerful demigod into a god - or more likely kill them - and have them bound by ancient laws than to give away partial immortality.

"You are still a demigod Perseus, you are not bound by any laws; you can challenge anything from immortals to fate itself. The power inside of you is merely a taste of what the future holds. That, I have seen. The raw strength that flows through your veins is unlike any demigod this world has ever seen; you may not have the strength of Heracles, or even the wits of your own namesake, but you have something they could only dream of: the power of Poseidon - a rare gift given to any of his children."

Helios looked like he wanted to say more, but he stopped himself as a cold presence entered the area, a clear sign that he's already said too much.

Helios tilted his head to the side, as if he were listening to someone, nodding occasionally and talking into the wind.

"Yes, I know this already. No. Well, yes. What does that have to do with anything? You wouldn't. Never mind, you clearly would. You know what my presence - what do you mean it doesn't matter? Of course it matters. You are not going to-"

Helios was cut off by the sudden appearance of a silver light.

"I am not going to what, brother?"

Perseus turned and saw Selene on his left. This was the point he decided he had enough and unslung his bow off his back.

"Either someone explains what's happening or I'm firing arrows."

Helios laughed him off, "Don't kid yourself Perseus, you can barely shoot straight."

Perseus rapidly fired off three arrows into Helios, each one hitting a different spot on his body - at least he shot in the right direction. Perseus barely maintained the seriousness he held as the Titan of the Sun began to gag.

"The way I see it, you have two options. Option one: you explain and leave. Option two: you leave and explain later. I don't think the small group of people heading this way would ignore two ghosts and a heavily armed man."

Helios rolled his eyes and shimmered out of existence, Selene soon following.

Perseus watched as a group of five walked up towards him, he wasn't particularly worried about their numbers or skills if a fight did break out; at least three were holding farming tools, while one had a woodcutting axe and the last had a bronze sword, nothing worth note.

"Excuse me sir, but I believe that pouch of drachmas would better suit us, wouldn't you agree?"

Perseus _tried_ not to laugh at their attempt at intimidating him - he really did - but between Helios and the fact he's seen scarier children at the agoge, it didn't work out so well. He pulled his spear off his back and began to casually twirl the weapon in his hands, determining if it was even worth his time to fight these people.

If Perseus had to guess, these people were looking to prey on the survivors of his earthquake, taking money and valuables from the injured and defenseless; by the looks of the pouches on their waists, they've had a lot of success.

Suddenly, a piece of paper fluttered through the wind and into his hand. He planted his spear into the ground - not caring about the armed men across from him - and opened the note. '_Do it.'_

"Hey pal, do you want to give us your money the easy way or the hard way?"

Perseus looked to the people and back at the note. He picked his spear up out the ground and held it out infront of him, who was he to argue with the words of an immortal? Besides, fire wood is a useful thing to have, and that axe looks more than capable of cutting down a tree.

**-0-**

The sun has risen and Perseus was completely exhausted, having spent the majority of last night finding a suitable spot to fall asleep.

As always, Perseus woke right at the crack of dawn, whether he wanted to or not. Usually, he wakes up on his own, but he had the feeling that today, a certain Titan of the Sun had something to do with it.

Perseus decided to get up instead of cursing the sun, deciding that he had plenty of better things to do than yell at Helios.

He got up, brushed any dirt off his weapons and armour, and began to follow the path of destruction he made, slashing at random branches along to way.

Perseus started to asses his weapons. The iron axe he picked up from one of those farmers needed sharpening, along with his hunting knife. As always, his spear and _Anaklusmos _were as sharp as ever, a property of their magical metals. He checked his quiver and groaned as he saw many of his arrows were dull, unfortunately, iron share the same unique qualities as celestial bronze.

After seeing he had an agonizing amount of work to do, Perseus finally reached his old house and let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, his mother's grave wasn't effected by his little outburst.

He slowly made his way over to the small grave, each step feeling heavier than the last. He reached the resting place of his mother and got on his knees. For the first time in decades, he took his helmet off, his face visible to anyone around him.

"Hey mom, I know you can't hear me, but... I miss you."

Perseus felt slightly ridiculous talking into the air, but he continued on.

"I'm sorry for never visiting before and in complete honesty, I never intended on doing so. I was scared mom, scared that if I ever came back here, your death would seem real, I still am."

He swallowed the lump in his throat; seeing the grave had brought back memories, memories he had hoped would've stayed buried, memories that held more happiness than he's ever experienced since he left this forest.

"I don't know how to say this, you always had done so much for me, taught me so much, everything you have ever done has shaped me into the man I am today." Perseus let out a weak laugh, "I still remember when you chided me for hours when I asked why I should respect women - the gods know I was an ignorant child."

Perseus took a deep breath and felt his body shake. He hadn't felt the tears that were streaming down his face.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is, thank you. Thank you for sacrificing everything for me. Thank you for being my mother. I hope one day, I could make you proud."

He replaced the dirt the grave robber had dug away and smiled at the warm breeze that hit his face. He cleaned up the grave and replaced the rocks that surrounded the patch of dirt.

Perseus stayed there for longer than he could remember, telling his mother all about his life and where he's been, about Helios and Selene and how he has a destiny. When he finished, the sun was rising on a new day and Perseus felt a sense of peace build inside him.

**Well that was a literal emotional rollercoaster, I hoped you enjoyed reading it. Someone had mentioned about how Perseus never noticed anything around him or 'stopped to smell the roses' and while that was _partially_ on purpose, I do agree that he should have at least acknowledge the area around him; that is a fault on my part. Many of the things I wrote in the chapter - him getting off track or hitting branches - may seem to be childish or pointless but I want to remind everyone that demigods are ADHD and dyslexic, a fact that people often forget - the note he read was in Ancient Greek, something that demigods _can _read. **

**People might argue that Perseus' powers seem to be broken - destroying Sparta with an earthquake might be a little much - but I think it's justifiable. In canon, Percy Jackson destroyed a bridge made of concrete, steel, held up by suspension cables, and designed to withstand natural disasters with his powers after just figuring out he had them. I think someone with years of training could destroy a city of brick, wood, limestone, marble and bad structural support easily.**

**I have a strong feeling to where I want this story to go, the plot, powers, and weapons he'll receive in the future, but I am always open to new ideas. Also, I'm in need of a name for his spear, I have one or two in mind but a second opinion never hurts. **


	6. VI

**Persepolis, 329 B.C**

After over a century, Perseus had done it. His plot to destroy the Persian Empire was complete; his promise to avenge Leonidas and the last true Spartans was kept. However, Perseus could care less about what happened to Sparta now.

In the Peloponnesian Wars, he fought for Sparta, killing countless Athenians, including their famed general Pericles. Many people had falsely put the death of Pericles down to a plague, and not the bronze of Perseus' blade - as if a simple disease could kill him. He didn't complain, it was less attention focused on him.

Perseus soon left the war after that. The surrender of Sparta's troops at Spactheria had sidelined him for a while, but the dealings with the Persians had driven him away, permanently. It was after that he left Greece and went north to Macedonia, where Helios had told him an empire was on the rise.

At first, he suspected Helios was playing games with him, he thought there was no way Macedonia was a rising empire - that is until he saw Alexander. From the moment he laid eyes on the child, he knew he was to be something special, something his father couldn't be.

Perseus had become quick friends with King Phillip and stayed close to the boy from a young age, creating the guise of him being a faithful bodyguard; growing a relationship with both father and son.

When the King had announced his plan to invade Persia, Perseus understood Helios' visions. He helped train the Macedonian army into one of the finest fighting forces the world had ever seen, creating the great Macedonian Phalanx.

Finally, Alexander had come of age, and King Phillip served no further purpose. After getting rid of the father, Perseus had prodded Alexander to invade Persia, giving him the army he needed to destroy the Persians once and for all. Even so, he continued to feed Alexander dreams of a vast empire and riches beyond desire, all for his taking.

Perseus led the army alongside Alexander, staying in the shadows and destroying everything in his path. He saved the boy more times than he could count; his reckless tactics often requiring for Perseus to step in.

He fought at the battles of The Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, and countless more. He burned down cities, towns, farms, homes, anything he could get his hands on.

It was in this time where he first learned to control his powers from Helios, using his spear and the power of the sun to purge the empire in golden flames. In light of this, he rightfully named the spear Ήλιοδόρu or Heliodoru - the sunspear he called it.

He continued his campaign of destruction through Syria, Phoenicia, Egypt, Libya, Parthia, Bactria, Sogdia, and many smaller provinces, putting anyone he saw to the blade, sparing only the women and children.

Perseus heard many whispers of him from the Persian people, many calling him a shadow of death, a bringer of pain and misery, a relic from Sparta's past. He basked in their fear, relishing the feeling of bringing a population to their knees in terror; he wanted all of Persia to feel what the Greeks felt so long ago.

He had hunted King Darius throughout the crumbling empire, hell-bent on ending the pathetic king once and for all. When Darius fell to his blade, he chased Bassus and all other Persian usurpers across the remnants of Persia.

Finally, the Persian empire was on its knees, a mere shadow of its former power and glory. Perseus has witnessed the gradual decline of Alexander's spot from power, seeing his ever-so-inflated ego grow to an unbearable point. Even now, there are plots of his assasination and talks of mutiny, but Perseus wouldn't be there to protect him. The Persian empire was gone and thus, so was Perseus.

He's heard rumors of a rising city called Rome. He had created the Macedonian Empire, and now he would like to watch another rise to glory.

He doubted the Macedonian Empire would last, the governors were greedy, and the soldiers were too far from home. The only thing keeping the lands together is Alexander, who they had named Alexander the Great. Perseus always scoffed when he heard that as if the child deserved the title; he was too reckless and foolish, it was a miracle he hadn't been killed.

Now, he began the long trek back to Greece. He figured if he were to find Rome, Greece would be a good start. Of course, Helios or Selene could always tell Perseus where it was, but according to Helios, 'What's the point of taking a test, if you know all the answers.'

Perseus always rolled his eyes when the Titan said that, he was sure Helios just wanted to see him suffer, but maybe he'd end up thanking him later - maybe.

He walked through the city of Persepolis with satisfaction, seeing the burnt temples and feared looks from the citizens brought joy to his heart.

Alexander had wanted to leave the city untouched, but Perseus ignored the boy and set the city ablaze; he even singlehandedly pillaged their valuables and had them sent back to Greece, keeping it all for himself. He already knew how he would spend a portion of the gold when he got back, but he amassed so much wealth throughout the conquests that he could start his own empire.

As Perseus walked through the city, everything was completely silent, you could practically feel the fear radiating off the people. In the distance, he heard the sound of footsteps, but when he turned around, there was no one there. He got the feeling he was being watched and unsheathed Anaklusmos. It was more than likely he's made more than a few enemies here.

He quickly made his way out the once grand city and into the open, if he had more than one attacker, he'd rather not give them the advantage of using the buildings as high ground. Perseus had no doubts of his ability to kill anyone that dared to fight him in hand to hand combat, but he was still less than proficient at a range, something he's looking forward to improving.

The hairs on the back of Perseus' neck stood up and he immediately rolled out the way - a good thing he did too. The spot where he stood a moment before was now filled with silver arrows, each one would've been a killing blow.

He sighed, already knowing where this was going, "Come on out hunters, are you scared of facing a mere boy?"

Perseus has had a few skirmishes with the Hunters of Artemis in the past - usually one or two at a time - but judging by the amount of arrows fired, he looked to be dealing with a lot more than a few of them.

Apparently, they've been tracking him since he first started burning down the Persian Empire, which was a long time, he was surprised it took them this long to find him as a group.

According to a particularly feisty hunter named Phoebe, he's been killing people indiscriminately, which was only partially true; he did leave the women and children alive. It was likely that the Persian who called for Artemis' help decided to leave that fact out, those hunters were always stingy when women are involved - which he could understand.

Perseus decided to take a risk in taunting them more, but for safety, he held his shield out in front of him, "No response, not even an arrow? I'm hurt - really, I am - I thought we had bonded when I tied one of you up and left them in the desert."

An arrow came sailing towards his groin, forcing Perseus to jump into the air.

"Can you at least let me see who's shooting me? I'm not entirely sure who I had left in the desert."

Perseus heard some arguing from behind a stone wall. To him, it sounded like someone really wanted him dead, so it was his best guess that the desert girl is in that group.

"Hey, if you aren't going to respond I'll just leave."

As serious as this situation was, he couldn't help but poke fun at the hunters, it was a much-needed break from killing Persians.

"Would you shut up!"

Perseus shrugged and started to back up a hill, wondering if he actually could just walk away - which apparently, he could.

It was all smooth sailing until an arrow pierced his arm. Perseus felt a sense of deja vu as he ripped the arrow out and cauterized the wound, he'll heal it later when he finds some water.

He had to give the archer credit, to sneak an arrow around his shield and his armour was an impressive feat and could've made a real difference if they ever decided to fight him - or if he felt it in the first place.

Perseus reached the crest of the hill and took cover. It was at this point he decided to taunt the already angry huntresses more.

He unslung his bow and nocked an arrow. He wasn't entirely sure if he'd even get close to hitting a hunter or not, but he was willing to find out.

He let the arrow fly at where he guessed the hunters were, hoping to insult them with his horrible archery skills. He watched the arrow sail through the air until it was enveloped in silver light and disappeared.

"Aw c'mon Selene, just this once. I promise I won't hurt them... too badly."

Perseus felt a cold burst of wind hit him like a slap across the face.

"I'll take that as a no."

Perseus was about to taunt the hunters more when one of them started yelling at him.

"You better run boy! Run back to the bitch of a woman that had given birth to you."

Perseus' cheerful attitude immediately left him. His vision was tainted red and his golden eyes showed the wrath of a thousand dying stars; the world began to shake before him as the sun brought its harsh rays down onto the earth, setting fires and burning wildlife without rhyme or reason.

He marched over the hill, ready to kill whoever had dared to open their mouth. His target was clear, it was the smug one standing in front of their group, acting as if she won some major battle.

The hunters saw Perseus coming down the hill and attempted to cut him down with arrows, but none of them ever reached him, each one being knocked away by a gust of wind. Perseus looked around him and saw himself standing in the eye of a hurricane, easily protected from any projectiles they foolishly fired.

He let loose a scream of rage and his hurricane exploded outwards, sending the hunters flying through the air and rendering over half unconscious. There were only seven that still opposed him.

Perseus met one head-on, catching two knives on his blade before knocking her unconscious with his shield, all within the span of a few seconds.

Perseus moved through the few remaining hunters like a demon, using his shield and sword to leave anyone else senseless. He didn't want to kill these hunters, they did him no wrong, just the ignorant one he now recognized as Phoebe.

There was only one hunter standing between him and his enemy. He looked into her onyx eyes and her name came back to him from a distant memory.

"Move aside Nightshade, I won't ask you twice."

Zoë Nightshade, looked both furious and curious at the same time, "How do you know my name?"

Perseus laughed at the hunter, "Look at the blade I wield, do you not recognize the weapon your mother gave you so long ago?"

Zoë stared his weapon in shock, seemingly forgetting about the fight. In the blink of an eye, Perseus moved forwards and slammed the pommel of Anaklusmos onto her head, the last thing she saw was a sword from a forgotten past.

When Perseus reached Phoebe, the huntress had just begun to regain consciousness, he was ready to cut her throat wide open when someone grabbed his hand.

He turned to see Helios grasping his wrist, shaking his head slowly. Perseus frustratedly yanked his hand away from the Titan and looked down at the hunter before him.

"Count your blessings today hunter, you have been granted mercy. Track me, fight me, or even utter a word about me, and it'll be the last thing you or any of your hunters do. Consider yourself warned."

Perseus took an arrow from his quiver and stuck it in the huntresses' side, it wouldn't kill her, but it'll be enough to satisfy him - for now.

"That seemed unnecessary."

Perseus ignored Helios and walked away, continuing on his old path west. If he wasn't able to kill the hunter, the rest of the world will be the ones to feel his wrath.

**There's chapter 6. Thank you to Inata who came up with the name for Perseus' spear. I'd also like to announce my acquisition of the finest beta reader there is: Kayla Fayeheart. Y'all can thank her for the quality of this and future chapters.**

**Other than that, all that feels appropriate to say rn is RIP to Kobe and his daughter Gianna. The world will never be the same. To lose a legend and protege such as Kobe and Gianna is sad, but for a family to lose both a father and daughter is a tragedy.**


	7. VII

**Sparta, 59 B.C**

No matter how much he wished to never return to this place, Perseus always found himself back in this forest, in this disgraceful part of Greece; if he had the option, he'd move the entire forest away, likely to one of those western lands Helios was always talking about. But alas, he was born here, his mother lived her entire life in here - from birth to death - and he'd be damned if anything ever disturbs her home.

Perseus needed this trip to be short. Rome was slowly bleeding, and Perseus needed to be there to help put it out of its misery. However, there were more personal matters he had to attend to first.

He walked around the site of his old home. He'd spent a fortune to go through with his plans; thankfully, the never-ending wars of Rome and the invasion of Persia so long ago provided him with more than enough gold to proceed.

He'd amassed so much wealth in the past few hundred years that he makes Marcus Crassus look like a mere noble; the riches of multiple empires and countless provinces assures that.

Now, he was spending that wealth on a place he could call home. It would be a place of unheard beauty and strength. He'd hired demigods from every corner of the known world; the most prominent recruits were children of Athena, Vulcan, and Ceres, all qualified to ensure this project is completed to its greatest capabilities. He had quite literally bought the best help money could buy.

It took an insurmountable amount of coinage to keep the demigods from killing each other - along with a few examples he made. If he knew the headache the children of Athena would give him, he would've gone and studied architecture himself - that is, if he wasn't busy systematically dismantling an empire.

However, Perseus was not a fool. One of those Romans would give up the existence of Greek demigods within a heartbeat at the jingle of denarii. Thus he took extra precautions, acquiring the location of every family member and friend any of these demigods have ever had.

If any of these people leaked a word of this operation, he'd drop a list of these such locations - alongside a pile of gold - at the feet of bounty hunters and mercenaries. Then, there'd be nobody to hear the secrets they held. If they had leaked knowledge to someone of a higher stature, that was when Perseus personally stepped in.

He knew it was cruel to have these rules, but he didn't care - there were more pressing concerns than a few lives.

And now, with his plans well underway, he was on his way back to Rome, undertaking a quest to earn the trust of Gaius Julius Caesar - likely through serving him in these 'Gallic Wars.' He groaned internally. It was always the military leaders he had to befriend, it was never anyone simple like a king or politician.

**Rome, 44 B.C**

Perseus sat atop the rooftop of the Theatre of Pompey, waiting patiently for the moment to pass. It took the entirety of the Gallic Wars for Julius to even begin trusting Perseus, but he didn't complain. The gold and silver he pillaged would likely have some decisive role in the future.

He wasn't exactly sure how much wealth he actually had, just that he knew it was more than everyone else.

He remembered the one year he left to go and check on his project in Sparta, Julius had somehow managed to lose an entire legion in an ambush. How one of the greatest military minds in history had managed this, Perseus could never understand.

Then, even after he basically won the wars for Caesar, he still didn't trust him! Perseus had to make the man a King, which could lead to some unexpected results in the future.

It created many variables in Perseus' plan, one that might've gone much smoother with the senators in charge. On the other hand, dictators and kings are often corrupt and selfish, which could prove useful.

However, a monarch also holds a certain unpredictability that he can't count on; if Julius had a worthy successor then he could lead Rome to prosperity, causing the dying empire to last much longer than it should.

Perseus frustratedly pounded the tiles on which he sat. Helios better have a good reason as to why he couldn't kill Julius when the wars first ended - it would've left out this whole absolute ruler idea.

Annoyingly enough, Helios seemed to think that the monarchs would be the end of Rome; the only reason he even listened to the old man is that Selene agreed - she was the smarter of the two siblings.

It had taken years of whispering into the ears of the senators, filling their minds with images of their downfall; their minds became clouded with fear. Fear of the end of their grand empire.

Perseus looked to the sun in the sky and saw it was almost time. It'd be beginning soon, the end of this constant headache - he wasn't even supposed to get headaches.

He watched as Gaius Julius Caesar walked into the theatre and waited patiently for the sound of his victory. He would've done this himself, but according to Helios and Selene this was eventually going to be some major event in history; the future historians would likely confuse themselves to death if there were records of a Spartan at the death of Julius Caesar.

As if on cue, screams pierced the air. Perseus hopped off the roof and checked the body of Julius, seeing the tens of stab wounds. Discreetly as possible, he took the knife that laid in Caesar's dead hand - he had used the blade a few times during the Gallic Wars and taken a liking to its weight.

If you cut the head off the snake, the body will die. However, Rome was a multi-headed hydra, filled with soldiers and prosperous cities. Some of which he'd need out of the way.

**Pompeii, 79 AD**

Perseus looked at the city of Pompeii from a distance, taking in the beauty of the city for what would be the last time.

He pulled the sunspear off his back, feeling the familiar weight this weapon held. The blade had killed more people than he cared to count, slaughtering people from every nation. Now, he'd use it to lead the destruction of Rome.

He slammed the end of the spear into the ground, letting the blade sink fully into the dirt. Familiar, destructive tremors followed this action, shaking Pompeii to its core. The earthquake wasn't part of his plan, but would hopefully get people to leave before the real destruction started.

He gave the people of Pompeii plenty of time to evacuate before he started - probably too much time. Everything needed to be perfect in order for this to work, which wouldn't happen for another hundred years.

All the pieces were in place, including the decisive presence of the full moon. He had no idea if this was going to work, but if it did, he'd be a lot more scared of Selene than before.

Picking up the spear with both hands, he channeled every fiber of his being into the weapon. With one, earth-shattering slam, he sent the weapon into the ground once more, bringing forth the true power of the moon.

Across the sky, hundreds of silver streaks could be seen making their way towards Earth. As they got closer Perseus could see they weren't merely lights, but giant meteors with silver trails headed straight for Vesuvius and the city of Pompeii.

The impact of the meteors finally pushed the boiling volcano to its breaking point. Molten lava shot into the air, slowly making its way to the decimated city of Pompeii, burning anything in its path.

Even though their mission was complete, Perseus watched through heavy eyes as a seemingly endless stream of meteors crashed into the city, dissolving soon after impact. Screams echoed throughout the world around him; the people never left.

Perseus sat there, drenched in sweat and on the verge of unconsciousness; the summoning has taken more out of him than he thought. As darkness surrounded his vision, he saw a single silver light coming towards him. Which could mean two very different things.

One was that Selene was coming to rescue him from the lava pouring from the volcano. The other, a meteor was coming to bring him the same fate as the people of Pompeii - he accepted it either way.

**The Astral Plane, Palace of the Sun, 492 AD**

He's waited centuries for this particular moment, to be allowed back to the Astral Plane. There wasn't a strong desire to return to this place until around three-hundred years ago, but Perseus wanted to talk to Helios face-to-face.

Rome was now gone and the Byzantine Empire wouldn't last, but he wouldn't have to worry about any empire or rulers for a long time now; Rome was the last rule that would truly change the fate of the world.

Now, he could do whatever he wished. It would be a strange change from the life of a soldier, but it was one he'd welcome with open arms.

Perseus planned to stay in his new home in Sparta, living a tranquil life for a few years before he would venture across the world, what he would do, he doesn't have the slightest clue.

For sixteen years, he's thought about what his life would consist of - right after he toppled the city of Rome. Sure, he's had moments in the past where he'd be lost, but he always had an objective; he was always fighting or plotting. Now, he was waiting.

Finally, he reached the doors of Helios' throne room and remembered why he had come here in the first place.

With great respect for the palace and its walls, he kicked the door down and barged into the throne room.

"'_No Perseus, the monarchs would bring the destruction of Rome - it would end much faster with them in charge.' _Two hundred years! Two hundred years wasted; all because your 'great sight' overlooked the Pax Romana! The emperors led Rome to its golden age, not its downfall you over-inflated candle."

"Now Perseus -"

He blatantly ignored Helios and continued on, "How in the name of the gods could you have missed two hundred years?!"

Helios slumped down in his throne and sighed. Once Perseus got on a roll like this, it was impossible to judge when he'd finish.

**-0-**

"_'-will start the beginning of the end, make sure he stays in power.'_ He started the beginning of Rome's greatest age, Helios! Do you need to get your eyes checked old man? He was loved by everyone and anyone, where was the downfall in that?

"_'Fight in the Gallic Wars Perseus, he'll love you after that.' _In what world did Gaius Julius Caesar even begin to trust me after those wars?

At this point, Helios was really hating Perseus' perfect memory - he could never win an argument.

"'_Let him rule the empire, I foresee him being horrible'_ He was one of the greatest leaders Rome ever had, where is the horrible leadership? Was it Apollo telling me these things? Hmm?"

Perseus flipped another table he had forced Helios to summon, letting out a small bit of the pent up anger he's held on to.

Helios, who had been quiet for the past few hours, looked like he was going to respond, but Perseus didn't give him the chance; choosing to stomp his way out the throne room.

"You know, only I can send you back to the mortal world."

"Quiet Helios, I'm still upset with you."

Helios shouted after him, "You're fixing my door!"

"You better hope the door is the least of your problems! Maybe a stray earthquake or hurricane will find its way here during my stay."

Helios started to yell something about him not being allowed to live here, but he didn't care, he was too angry to listen.

He began to walk through the halls of the palace, trying to find the arena from his first visit, but he found the palace to be much bigger than he expected - which was saying a lot.

Eventually, he found a training room and walked through its doors, prepared to take out his residual anger on archery targets and straw dummies.

**There's chapter 7, now y'all listen up and listen well. Obviously Perseus isn't the same as Percy Jackson. He was born in an era where war was considered fun and people killed each other for entertainment. Of course he isn't going to be the same blue-cookie-eating-kid we all know and love. Yes, he will be leaning more towards the sarcastic and annoying person we consider Percy, it's called character development over time - but he will be different, he's not some high school girl that switches up completely because it's a new year.**

**Now that that's out of the way, here was my style for the chapter. I had wanted to make the jumps from different time periods shorter for the reader, and, I can't really ignore Rome and its importance in the world - so there it is. I know that the continuous skipping of years in a chapter was annoying but Rome lasted over a thousand years, and I don't think y'all wanted to read about his memories.**

**Also, the whole meteor thing would likely be a one-time thing. I know it may seem completely unrelated to the moon, but it isn't really. The moon is really just a large piece of space rock that is forever caught in Earth's gravitational pull; meteors are smaller space rocks. I know it's a stretch but it's also a break from earthquakes causing everything.**


	8. VIII

**Athens, The Scironian Rocks, 1777 A.D**

He dived deeper into the water, scouring the seafloor for his prize. Perseus had spent a majority of the past millennia looking for ancient artifacts, trying to find a weapon that felt right in his hands.

He'd gathered weapons from all sorts of Greek heroes; only a few of the weapons he found were weighted properly. Some weren't even usable. Others, he had left for future demigods.

Anything Perseus kept could be found in a tent he had stolen from the Hunters, including the armor of the heroes. He'd found so many pieces of armor that he often melted them down if they were too damaged, but he'd keep any swords, shields, spears, or knives if he liked them - those were easy to fix.

So far, he'd amassed enough swords to fill a museum, with weapons originating from Achilles to Jason; he had even found the Belt of Hippolyta, which he had promptly returned to the Amazons a few years back. He could've kept it for himself, but he figured having the Amazons owe him was much more valuable than increased strength.

Even though he'd found hundreds of blades and shields, there was one thing that had eluded him: a decent bow. Having no Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold, his current wooden bow was likely to snap in his hands after two thousand years of use.

Lost in his thoughts, Perseus hadn't noticed the rock he had crashed into. Seeing an opportunity for a break, Perseus sat on the rock and began to relax. He found himself tracing the patterns ingrained in the stone, running his hands through the grooves and inspecting the different colors.

Strangely enough, the rock reminded him of a turtle shell. As Perseus noticed the strange feeling of keratin the rock held, he was launched into the sand.

Shaking the dizziness away, Perseus looked up and saw an impossibly large sea turtle swimming towards him. Great. He looks for Sciron's weapon and finds his turtle.

Perseus unsheathed Anaklusmos and started swimming away, trying to remember how the monstrosity chasing him was killed. Unfortunately, no mention of killing a giant turtle came to mind.

Seeing that he had no prior knowledge to rely on, he did the one thing any rational warrior would: he turned and charged, moving through the water at nearly impossible speeds. Facing a giant sea turtle was not exactly what he had in mind today, but what else was new in the life of a demigod.

As he neared the turtle, he gripped the sword with both hands and held it sideways, creating a long gash across the neck of the sea monster as he made contact, filling the water with green blood. It wouldn't be nearly enough to kill the island sized thing that he was fighting, but it would give him time to think.

While the turtle was distracted by its own blood, Perseus dropped the sword and pulled the sunspear off his back. He watched as golden flames crept up the spearhead, and with a smile on his face, he threw it into the neck of the monster, hoping to inflict some damage before it recovered.

At the last second, the turtle snapped towards Perseus and the spear missed its target. Unfortunately for the turtle, the new destination was its eye. It let out cries of pain and agony as the flames started burning into its head.

Feeling sorry for the monster, he grabbed Anaklusmos and moved to put it out of its misery. As he reached the turtle, he could hear it talking in his head, repeatedly calling for help.

Perseus yanked the spear out and rested his hand on its head, telepathically communicating with the turtle, telling it to calm itself.

Thankfully, the sea monster understood his intentions and opened its maw, allowing Perseus a direct path to its brain. He entered the mouth and stabbed Anaklusmos straight up, piercing its flesh and killing it instantly.

As the golden dust was carried away by the currents, Perseus saw a golden bow lying in the sand. That solved his bow problem.

He swam back to the surface and started making his way to the shore, using the water to propel him forward. Perseus wondered what a mortal would see if they saw him. It might be hard for them to picture a man armed to the teeth flying through the water at impossible speeds. He figured he had so much Celestial Bronze on him that the Mist would cover him completely.

Finally, Perseus reached the rocks and started the long climb back to the mainland. When he reached solid ground, he began to inspect the golden metal - attempting to ignore the man walking towards him.

"Excuse me sir, but may I take a look at your pistol? I couldn't help but notice its beautiful craftsmanship."

Perseus turned and faced the person. At the mention of the word 'pistol,' the bow glowed silver and started to transform into a flintlock; complete with an enchanted gold barrel and brown woodwork. Perseus had to assume the gold was enchanted and not Imperial - the weapon would have originated long before the Roman Empire.

He cursed Selene. He just got a bow, and now he had a weapon he didn't know how to use.

"Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, you may call me Lafayette if you wish. If you are willing, I would like to buy that weapon off you."

Perseus rolled his eyes. He was dealing with a Frenchman. They were usually an annoying bunch. In perfect French, Perseus responded to the odd man.

"Sorry, but it's not for sale. It's a family heirloom."

Perseus was surprised at how easily the lie came off his tongue. His best guess was that Selene had heard his curses and had decided to try and make up for it.

"I see. I assume the uniform you are wearing is also part of the set?"

Uniform? Perseus looked at his body and saw his armor slowly transform into the uniform of a French soldier. He really needed to have a talk with the Titaness of the Moon after this.

"Yes, my father served as a general before he was killed. He always came to this spot in the past, and I'm trying to find out what was so important about it."

Lafayette nodded, easily believing the lie. "Did he die in America? I've heard many French soldiers were being sent there."

Bells started going off in Perseus' head. America. He had forgotten about America. Was it already time to go there?

"Unfortunately, no. He was lost at sea."

Lafayette nodded and said no more on the topic. "I am planning on going to America to help in the war effort. The people living there deserve to be set free from British tyranny. When I return to France, I will attempt to get the king to officially join the war."

Perseus started talking with Lafayette about the revolutionists, what they stood for, learning where they were weak, who the leaders were, plotting his entrance into the war.

He planned on spending a share of his gold on equipment for the Continental Army, but he was wary of how much he should donate. With children of the gods bound to be in the war, Perseus was cautious in bringing attention to himself. A mysterious man donating enough gold to supply an empire is guaranteed to be discovered by the gods.

However, if he added onto donations from a wealthy Frenchman sympathetic to the colonists' cause…

"Lafayette, how badly do you want to help these revolutionists?"

**-0-**

Perseus sat on a beach, waiting for the moon to rise, fiddling with the hammer on his new flintlock. He didn't understand why it stayed as a pistol when his armor had reverted back to its original state.

Perseus took aim at a tree to his left. Maybe he could learn to like this weapon - he already knew the basic training. He pulled back the hammer, held his breath, and fired.

He missed, badly. Even in light of his horrific accuracy, Perseus knew that his aim could become flawless; the pistol was a pirate's weapon, and if there is anything a son of Poseidon did well, it was terrorizing the seas.

A silver light appeared in front of Perseus. On instinct, he spun the weapon in his hand, heard the click of the hammer, and fired.

In the silver apparition of Selene, ripples spread from around her stomach - a direct hit.

"Well, it seems that you like your new toy."

At Perseus' feet, a belt holster for his new flintlock appeared in the sand. He said his thanks and wrapped it around his waist.

"You still owe me a new bow."

Selene rolled her eyes. "Oh hush Perseus, it's not my fault you can't find a bow. I don't see why you don't craft one yourself. Half of those daggers you have were made by you, why not your bow?"

Perseus mumbled something under his breath that Selene couldn't hear. Knowing where this was going, she pressed on.

"What was that Perseus? I couldn't hear you."

He let out an exaggerated groan. "I don't know how! The wood is so annoying to form, and any metal cast I use breaks! It's as if I'm cursed…."

Slowly but surely, Perseus started to put the pieces together. "You didn't remove the curse!"

Selene struggled to contain her laughter and immediately changed the topic. "If you want to get to America, you'll need to go now. The last boat is leaving at daylight. Ta-ta!"

Before Perseus even knew what was happening, a silver light engulfed his body and he was in some unknown harbor, a pouch of drachmas and mortal money at his feet.

There was only one boat in the harbor, The Huntress. Grumbling the whole way, he snuck aboard and sat atop the mainmast, waiting patiently for the sun to rise.

While he would be acting pissed off at Selene, Perseus was actually grateful for her teleporting him here. He'd been out of his father's element for too long - he missed the smell of sea salt, the small lapping of the waves, the spray of seawater, everything that comes with the never-ending domain of his father. A month or two aboard a ship would do him fine.

Perseus shifted from side to side, trying not to fall off the mast as he found a comfortable position. Finally, he became satisfied and took off his helmet. He stared out to the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise; watching the waves, talking to the occasional fish, and overall just having a good time.

After he covered his presence using the Mist - a trick Selene had taught him - he fell asleep, hoping to wake up well into the ocean.

**-0-**

Perseus woke up in high spirits, the familiar scent of the ocean filling his nose. He stared out into the endless blue with a smile on his face. Weeks on a ship, no Helios, no Selene - what could go wrong?

"Phoebe! Let the lieutenant know we're on pace to reach America in seven weeks!

Perseus' eyes snapped open. He could practically hear Selene laughing at him. Of course, a ship called The Huntress would be used by the Hunters of Artemis. Sure enough, he looked down and saw a bunch of silver bows and arrows.

He had to be careful from here on out - too much movement would remove the Mist shrouding him.

Not wanting to focus on the large quantities of pointy arrows below him, he looked out to the ocean, hoping to communicate with a sea creature to pass time.

Fortunately for Perseus, there was a particularly chatty blue whale named Martha nearby. Apparently, she and her friend Jake were also heading towards America. Perseus saw Jake heading over to the ship, but he wasn't slowing down…

The whale slammed into the side of the boat, sending Perseus crashing into the deck, scaring more than one Hunter.

Perseus shot to his feet, but before he could reach for his weapons, multiple arrows were pointed at his chest. "Hello Hunters, long time no see?"

He put his hands into the air. "Now, ladies, there's no reason we can't be civil about this."

As the words left his mouth, an arrow bounced off his breastplate. More arrows followed and Perseus was forced to dodge. He took a closer look at the group and realized a majority of them were from the tree incident a hundred years ago. Great.

As the next volley headed towards him, he jumped into action, unsheathing a dagger hidden behind his back.

He swept the legs out of open Hunter and punched her hard in the temples as she fell, knocking her unconscious before she even hit the ground. He had to be careful with the wounds he inflicted, he was already on Artemis' bad side.

One day Selene's sense of humor was going to get him killed.

Perseus was forced to dodge arrow after arrow. Strangely enough, he felt as if he were playing a game of tag - a very dangerous game of tag, but a game nonetheless. Finally, after countless cuts and close calls, the Hunters started to run low on ammunition. Two of them charged him with knives, forcing Perseus dodge and weave once more.

Eventually, he was backed up against the foremast and was forced to get creative. He grabbed the wooden pole with one hand and wrapped around it, kicking one of the Hunters in the stomach on his way back.

As the second Huntress became distracted, he pulled out his new flintlock and shot her in the thigh. Perseus meant to hit her friend that was aiming at him, but he'd take a hit either way.

Taking cover behind the foremast, he holstered his weapons. There were tens of Hunters on this ship. He wasn't going to be defeating them with a knife and a flintlock pistol he could barely aim.

Unsheathing Anaklusmos and pulling Leonidas' shield over his shoulder, he peeked out of cover, making sure to keep his shield up.

"Hey, Zoë, Phoebe, how have you two been? I see Alice and Mary are still with you."

The lieutenant of the Hunt intensified her stare a hundred times over, though it had little effect on Perseus. He was used to being glared at. If they could see his face, they'd probably be firing arrows at his smirk.

He walked out of cover. "If I recall correctly, the last time we were in this scenario I was able to run away with one of your tents." Perseus lowered his shield. "I have an idea, how about you surrender now and we chat about it later?"

Perseus got an arrow in the arm -perfectly placed under his spaulder- from a particularly angry onyx-eyed Huntress in response. "If you think you're escaping this time, you have another thing coming."

Perseus shrugged. "Suit yourself. I hope you like saltwater."

With that confusing statement, a large tidal wave crashed into the ship, sending the Hunters sprawling. Perseus used this as an opportunity to begin restraining the Hunters and started forming shackles made of ice.

Soon enough, all of the Hunters were either handcuffed or coughing out saltwater.

"Spartan!"

Crap. Perseus quickly unholstered his pistol and held it at the head of the lieutenant.

"Now, now Artemis, godly interference isn't allowed." He pulled the hammer back. "There are consequences to breaking the Ancient Laws."

Saying that Artemis was angry would've been an understatement. Thankfully, the appearance of Selene saved him. While Perseus was supposed to be angry at the Titaness, he might just forgive her if he survived this.

The two immortals started talking in hushed tones, arguing over something Perseus couldn't discern. Finally, Selene won, and Artemis flashed away, giving Perseus a glare before leaving. Selene silently laughed at Perseus before she followed.

"Well, there's that. Alright Huntresses, down to the brig, you'll be staying there for the next few weeks."

Perseus led the Hunters down to the brig, sorting them into four of the larger cells, putting five or six in each.

As Zoë Nightshade was about to walk in, he stopped her and closed the cell doors. "You're coming with me. I need some assurance Artemis won't kill me."

Perseus received protests and death threats from every Hunter there, which he responded to by shooting into the air.

"Quiet!" He waited until the last shouts died down. "For the duration of this trip, I swear on the River Styx that your lieutenant won't be harmed unless I am provoked. Happy?"

Seeing nobody complain, he started making his way to the captain's quarters, covering the floor in razor-sharp shards of ice as he walked

"Come on Nightshade, I need your help with a few things."

When he walked into the room, he sat in the captain's chair and motioned for the Huntress to sit on the bed on the other side of the room. Zoë grudgingly sat down, seeing no other option when talking to the man with a gun.

"What game are you playing here, Spartan? Why did you bring me here?"

Perseus spun around in the chair a few times, "Well like I said, I need your help. I have over twenty Hunters locked up, I need to know how much food I should ration a day. A log of your supplies would help."

Zoë stared at Perseus, utterly confused. The man sneaks aboard their ship, defeats her and her Huntresses, then questions how they should be taken care of.

She decided to go along with it, hoping that the man wasn't playing with her and that her sisters could be properly taken care of.

"There's a notebook in one of those drawers. It has everything you need to know."

Perseus holstered his pistol and started going through the desk. "I can't find it."

He sighed, obviously annoyed. "If I remove your chains, would you have the common sense to not try and kill me?"

Zoë nodded, eager to get the restraints off. Perseus turned the ice binding her into water and moved away from the desk, giving her free reign.

Perseus explored the room as Zoë frustratedly searched through the drawers, clearly not trying to find a notebook.

Perseus pulled a Celestial Bronze dagger from behind his back. "Were you looking for this?"

He held a similar, steel variant in his other hand. "Or was it this one? They're both well forged."

Zoë huffed in frustration, not used to being outsmarted. She angrily grabbed the log and threw it at Perseus, choosing to sit down in a chair this time.

Perseus began to read through the small book, thankful it was written in Ancient Greek. "I already found the sword hidden under the floorboards, you're going to have to try harder than that."

Zoë rolled her eyes and sat back down on the bed, watching Perseus jot down some notes in the log, plotting how she would escape. With nothing coming to mind, she decided to learn more about this mysterious man across from her.

"Who are you?"

Perseus stopped writing, chuckling a bit to himself. "That question is a lot harder to answer than it is to ask."

Zoe's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean? You've killed tens of thousands of Persians without a thought - and gods know who else - but you let my Hunters live when it would be easier to kill them. You have two immortals helping you that Lady Artemis refuses to identify. You control powers I have never seen before. You don't feel pain. There is no record of you in any known history - not even a name. What are you?"

Perseus shrugged, for he did not know. "I'm just a man that is willing to do what it takes. Your Hunters haven't done anything to me, so I won't do anything to them. Except for Phoebe, I'm still deciding whether I should kill her."

Perseus nearly busted out laughing at the wave of panic that swept across the Hunter's face. "I'm not answering your other questions. There's a reason why I haven't been heard of."

Not able to read the handwriting, Perseus took off his helmet, revealing the most mesmerizing pair of sea-green eyes Zoë had ever seen, confirming he was a son of Poseidon.

Perseus noticed her staring. "Soak it up Huntress, you won't see this face again in your lifetime. You're just lucky that whoever wrote this has the penmanship of an adolescent child."

"Why do you always wear that armor? Doesn't it get annoying?"

Perseus shut the book. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a daughter of Athena. How can one person be so curious? You don't see me interrogating you," he started laughing to himself, "and you're my prisoner."

After Perseus calmed himself he looked out the window and shook his head. "Whoever was sailing this ship needs to check their maps. This route is completely off, you'll end up on the other side of the continent following this path."

He motioned for Zoë to follow him and went above deck, putting his helmet back on.

"You know, Spartan, this trip is going to take weeks. Eventually, you are going to have to go to sleep."

Perseus just laughed at her. "At sea, I could stay awake for weeks under the worst conditions. You have coffee aboard this ship. I think I'll be fine."

As he walked up to the wheel, having to stop Zoë from grabbing a weapon every couple steps, he realized that even with accelerating the boat's speed, it was going to be a long couple of weeks.

**-0-**

Perseus stood on the deck of the ship, happily whistling a tune as he practiced with his flintlock. Perseus himself wasn't a fan of whistling, but Zoë Nightshade had made it explicitly clear that she wasn't either. Thus, he whistled.

"Do you have to fill our targets with your bullets? They're made for arrows. Why are you even practicing? Even if you practiced until we got to America, you'd be decent at best.

Perseus smirked from underneath his helmet. "Well I have some live targets stored in the brig, I could use those instead - a moving target would help me much improve faster."

A ghost of a smirk could be seen from under his helmet, something Zoë Nightshade had clearly failed to notice.

"You wouldn't dare! Lady Artemis would strike you down long before you got the chance."

Perseus ignored her and continued with his training. He spun the weapon, hearing the click that signified it had reloaded. While Perseus still wanted a bow, he was glad that the pistol was at least magical.

He took aim, held his breath, and fired. As usual, his aim was horrific, barely hitting the eighth rim.

"You're holding it wrong."

Perseus turned to the Huntress. "What?"

Zoë shrugged. "The pistol. You're holding it wrong. It's why your aim is so bad. Your fingers should be placed lower, you're holding it too loosely, and you need to keep the weapon steady the whole way through."

Perseus followed her directions, not entirely sure whether the Huntress was being truthful. Surprisingly enough, his next shot hit the second rim, a large improvement.

He looked at the Huntress, utterly confused as to why she would help him. Judging by her reaction, she was too.

He just shrugged and continued his practice. He would need to be a lot better if he were to fight the 'Great British Army.'

He'd heard all about the British empire, how they were supposedly the most disciplined fighting force in history. He always scoffed whenever he heard that. Every Empire in history has claimed to be but few had actually backed it up.

Now, in a few weeks, he'd be on the frontlines of a war, using a weapon he had little experience with, fighting enemies armed with guns while he had swords and spears.

However, he was excited to meet General Washington. From what he got from Lafayette, the man was a great tactician and an even better person. Even so, Perseus knew to be cautious. Many of the best generals are often children of the gods.

Perseus stood at that spot for hours, constantly firing off his weapon, determined to improve. Perseus didn't know where the bullets came from - he assumed it was part of the magic - but he didn't question it.

Perseus wanted to be able to hit a bullseye consistently before the week was over, and then he wanted to start practicing on moving targets. He wouldn't use the Hunters, no matter how fun it might be. Zoë was right, Artemis would strike him down, Selene or not.

He'd probably launch small rocks from under the ocean into the air and start there.

Suddenly, without warning, his hand contracted, forcing Perseus to drop the pistol. Great, a cramp. He should've expected one sooner or later; the constant flicking of his wrist and spinning of his hand would've led to one eventually.

As Perseus massaged his hand, Zoë's curiosity took over. "Why are you so intent on improving?"

Perseus poured some saltwater over his hand and felt the cramp pass. "A Spartan warrior had to have been cursed with partial immortality for a reason. You should be bright enough to figure out why."

Not giving Zoë a chance to respond, he went back to shooting at the target. He would have to replace it soon - the straw was not meant for being hit with bullets. Thankfully, the Hunters kept a generous stock.

Perseus stopped his training at the rumble of his stomach. Looking around him, he realized the sun had nearly set. Perseus sighed - that always happened. As the years had passed by, Perseus became less attuned to the passage of time; days could feel like hours, and years sometimes felt like days.

Without notice, he replaced Zoë's shackles and headed below deck, going off to prepare what food the Hunters had brought aboard. He was sure they had some magical item that summoned food for them, but Perseus planned on going through the rations before he started experimenting with magical objects.

Perseus realized that this would be his routine for the next month or so. Train, feed the Hunters, train, feed the Hunters, repeat.

That didn't really bother him though. Soon enough, he'd be in America, doing the one thing that he - and any real Spartan - does best: fighting.

**Valley Forge, 1778**

When Perseus first arrived, all he saw was a disgrace to the word soldier. Now, there was some hope.

At his arrival, the ragtag group of people didn't even have shoes, their kitchens and latrines were next to each other, the soldiers had little training with their weapons and could barely march in columns.

Perseus trained them alongside Baron von Steuben - a Prussian military genius - pretending to be an assistant.

Perseus mainly taught the army the importance of discipline and cleanliness while von Steuben trained them in modern ways of fighting. He taught them to fire in rows, how to reload faster, and how to aim more precisely.

Perseus always paid special attention to these drills, eager to improve in any way possible. In his spare time, he took one-on-one classes with the Prussian, further refining his skill with his flintlock. Under the tutelage of Steuben, Perseus became a marksman, accelerating at impossible speeds.

Unfortunately, as he predicted, General George Washington was indeed a demigod, a child of Athena if he were to guess - one that was very well aware of his lineage. Washington hid it well, he'd give him that, but the Celestial Bronze dagger on his waist gave it away.

Thankfully, Perseus had discovered one of the magical properties his armor held: the ability to change into clothes. This allowed him to actually look like a Prussian.

Perseus supposed that the ancient magic had reactivated itself after Selene had changed his armor a few months back. It had taken a while for Perseus to realize that clothes don't provide the same protection as Celestial Bronze; it was only when he was shot in the hip had he noticed - thank the gods the cloth restitched itself.

Now, with a majority of the work done and spring on its way, Perseus was ready to leave the encampment. However, there was one thing he still had to do.

He had snuck into George Washington's tent and was sifting through the general's files and notes, finding and removing any mention of Perseus. Just as he burned the last paper, he heard the footsteps of a man walk into the room.

"Hello, Ansel - if that is your real name. Please tell me, why would a fellow demigod be hiding among my ranks? Would you also like to explain why you're burning my documents?"

Of course, the child of Athena would've figured him out.

"You did a good job of hiding it from the mortals, but even the Mist has its limits. I don't see how you were planning on hiding a magical pistol from a demigod - along with the plethora of weapons you always keep on you."

Perseus groaned aloud, clearly frustrated with how this is going. "Do you want the short version, the really short version, or the long version?"

George shrugged. "The really short, it seems you are limited on time."

"Well, I have lived for thousands of years and I never had been discovered. I would appreciate it if it stayed that way."

George Washington nodded and moved away from the entrance. "So it shall."

"What?" Perseus did not expect this conversation to go that way.

George Washington shrugged. "You have turned my group of soldiers from an unfit populace to a well-oiled machine and a conditioned army. I at least owe it to you to allow for your leave - I will make sure no word of your presence escapes here."

Perseus walked out in shock. "I am in your debt general, and I will see it generously repaid. The revolutionists will win this war."

George Washington nodded and waved him away.

Perseus grabbed Anaklusmos and the sunspear from their hidden spots in a tree trunk and left Valley Forge, hoping to never return to this cold, unforgiving place again.

When he was out of eyesight, he transformed his clothes back into armor, relishing in the familiar weight it brought. Clothes were comfortable, but being in armor brought a sense of duty, that same sense which he felt when under Leonidas.

**Yorktown, 1781**

Perseus waited patiently for his meeting. As he waited, Perseus daydreamed about what he would do after today. Perhaps he would explore these uncharted lands. He had seen some of the scenery and it was beautiful. Although it was more than likely he would stay in the north - as much as he hated it the cold, fewer people lived in it.

He planned on going past the Appalachian mountains. He was curious as to how far these new lands reached; what new life and people he'd see there - animals and plants alike. To Perseus, America was a land full of potential and adventure, all just waiting for the right person to explore them.

However, those were merely thoughts of what he wanted to happen. Most likely, he would find a secluded spot and start training, training to defeat the threat to the world. After that, Perseus didn't know.

His countless years of life have been dedicated to combat the threat and only that. If he had to guess, when this was all over, he'd either live in solitude or be killed by the gods. He wouldn't oppose either option. Both would bring the long-awaited end to the continual war he'd been fighting. Maybe he could reconnect with his mom if he ever passed.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sighing of a man. The tent flap flew open and revealed an old friend.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my command tent?"

Perseus took off his Celestial Bronze helmet. "Why hello there."

"Ansel?" Came the shocked response of George Washington. "What are you doing here?

Perseus got up and shook the general's hand. "I owed you a debt. I believe it has been paid."

"This was your doing?"

Perseus smirked. "I believe you will find a majority of British Parliament suddenly not willing to fight the war any further."

George Washington stared at 'Ansel' in disbelief before he composed himself. "I will keep my promise. Nobody, immortal or mortal, will ever hear of you - no matter how curious I am."

Perseus clasped him on the shoulder before he left. "I'll let you know one thing: my name isn't Ansel."

**Fin. There's chapter eight, you better have liked it. Yeah yeah I know I'm a day or two late, sue me. You already got two chapters last week. On top of that, this was around double the length of normal chapters.**

**"But I don't want a name 51, you promised we would get a chapter every weekend."**

**Yeah, and Hitler promised he wouldn't invade Czechoslovakia, look how that turned out.**

**Spoiled brats.**

**In other news, we're done with ancient times/history, modern-day PJO is up in the next chapter. I'll see you there.**


	9. IX

**Brooklyn, New York**

**January 11th, 2001**

Annabeth had been running, scared out of her mind. Thalia was nowhere to be found. Luke was nowhere to be found. The satyr, Grover, was nowhere to be found. She was all alone.

Most seven-year-olds would've started to panic and cry in this situation, but Annabeth wasn't like most seven-year-olds. Unlike others, she panicked and started frantically looking for her friends, completely tear-free.

Now, she was walking through a maze of corridors and hallways, desperately trying to reunite with Luke and Thalia - at this point she'd take finding Grover. She stopped dead in her tracks as the hallway split into two.

As she was deciding where to go, she heard footsteps behind her and reached for her knife. As she turned, she remembered that her knife was lost in an earlier battle.

Now, she faced a man in a red hoodie, the Greek letter lambda plastered across the front in bronze. He was easily over six feet tall. If she saw him on the street, wearing blue jeans and black running shoes, she wouldn't think twice about him being a mortal, but it was his hoodie that changed her mind.

The red hood that was pulled over his head obscured all of his facial features, not giving Annabeth a clue as to who she was looking at. She put it down to magic, like Thalia's shield and spear. However, a magical sweatshirt seemed to be the most useless item you could get.

The man tilted his head to the side and Annabeth stood there in silence, slightly unnerved that she wasn't able to tell whether the man was looking at her or not.

Finally, the man nodded and walked down the left hallway. "If you want to save your friends, follow me. If you want to be found by the cyclopes, you could stay here. A little warning, cyclopes love to eat children of Athena - their father is Poseidon after all."

Seeing no other option, Annabeth followed the man, praying that he wasn't leading her to her death.

As Annabeth followed, she wondered how the man even knew where he was going in the darkness that surrounded them. She was about to question it when he stopped and held up his hand.

Annabeth peered around him and saw that they were face-to-face with a set of double doors. "What's in there?"

"Your friends, of course. Naturally, they are unconscious and are about to be eaten by monsters." The man took a Celestial Bronze dagger out of his front pocket and held it out to her. "Here, a demigod should never enter a fight without a weapon."

Annabeth thanked him and held the knife like Luke had taught her.

"Be careful with that one, it used to belong to Odysseus - it's one of a kind."

Annabeth held the weapon in awe. According to Luke, Odysseus was a child of Athena - just like her.

Without giving any signal, the man pulled a pen out of his pocket and kicked the door down. As it flew open, he uncapped the pen and Annabeth watched as it changed into a Celestial Bronze xiphos.

Annabeth looked into the room and saw three cyclopes staring at her and the man.

"Sump, Torque, get them!"

Two cyclopes, who Annabeth assumed were Sump and Torque, charged them, holding giant wooden clubs in their meaty hands.

The man met them head on, slamming into them with a shield Annabeth hadn't seen earlier. Soon enough, he was engaged in a two-on-one fight.

Annabeth moved to help, but quickly realized he didn't need it. After a few deadly slices of his sword, the two cyclopes were nothing but monster dust.

"My sons! Nobody is allowed to kill Ma Gasket's sons besides Ma Gasket!"

Annabeth ignored Ma Gasket and started looking around the room for Thalia and Luke.

As she got a better look at the room, she realized that the entire ground was covered in bones - human bones. She shuddered to think what fate the demigods here had met.

Finally, she found Luke and Thalia hanging over a boiling pot of water, unmoving. As the man fought the cyclops' mother, she went over to the metal pot, hoping to somehow free her friends.

Annabeth started pushing the pot out of the way, but found the weight too heavy for her. Still, she pushed on, determined to help them as they had helped her. Suddenly, the water flew out of the pot, greatly reducing its weight and allowing Annabeth to push it.

As she moved the pot, the man moved a table and stood atop it as he cut down Thalia, Grover, and Luke. He set the three of them down and checked their pulses.

"They'll live. The girl might wake up with a headache, but she'll be fine."

The man walked over to the oversized couches the cyclopes were sitting on and patted a spot next to him. "Come, Annabeth Chase. There is something you need to hear."

Annabeth warily sat next to him, unsettled that he knew her name. However, she thought she could trust him - why would he save her just to kill her?

"How do you know my name?"

While Annabeth couldn't see his face, she could've sworn there was a frown.

"I know many things, Annabeth - too much if you'd ask me." He sighed. "I don't know what the future holds, but I can tell you one thing. It isn't your fault. Nothing that you could've done would change the future."

Now it was Annabeth's turn to frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The man chuckled at her. "Children of Athena, probably the most stubborn people you could meet. You never know when to just accept information. You're always digging for more, your curiosity never satisfied. That is one question I cannot answer, for I do not know."

The man let out a sad sigh and gave a weak laugh, seeming to recall a past event.

Annabeth accepted she wouldn't get a better answer from him and moved onto a different topic. "Who are you?"

The man sighed and took his hood off. "My name is Perseus."

Annabeth studied his face, taking note of every detail. The sea green eyes, his flawless features, anything that would help her remember who had saved her.

"Perseus. As in the Greek hero Perseus?"

Perseus shrugged. "That is who my mother named me after. Is there a problem with the name?"

To Annabeth, there was a problem. "It's too common, it'll be hard to remember you when people think of the myths."

He gave a short snort. "What would you have me do, change my name?"

"I was going to suggest a nickname."

Perseus seemed amused by this. "Go on."

Annabeth's mind started moving at a million miles per hour. "Most nicknames are hypocrisies - shortened versions of the regular name - we can start there."

Annabeth heard Perseus laughing, but she paid it no mind. "Perseus. Per-see-us. Per… see… Percy!"

Perseus tried to stifle his laughter and cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

Annabeth nodded. "Percy. It's modern, a hypocorism, and doesn't sound like Perseus - it's perfect!"

The newly dubbed Percy smiled at her. "Well it's nicer than what I've been called in the past."

Percy looked upward and his face turned serious, all former signs of joking gone. "You will have a hard life Annabeth Chase, but you will prevail. You are more powerful than most, but power isn't something one should desire. Power is often disguised as a blessing, but acts as a curse."

He shook his head. "While I wish I could take this fate away, you are bound to this life. A child shouldn't have to go through this. However, you will not be alone, you will have friends and family to guide you."

"What about you? Will you be there?"

Annabeth had just met Percy. She has made few friends in her life, and Percy seemed nice enough. She didn't want to lose one already.

Percy smiled at her. "I did say you would have family, did I not? Friends come and go - they change. But family? Family is forever."

His smile soon left him. "Cherish your family. No matter how bad they may be, you never let go of them. Fate always plays the cruelest games with those you love the most.

Annabeth hugged her new family, not questioning how they were related. She pulled away and was about to ask him more but was interrupted by groaning from her right.

She turned and saw Thalia starting to wake. When she looked back to Percy, he wasn't there. A gold and silver coin along with a small, grey backpack sat where he once was. She put the coin in her pocket and slung the backpack over her shoulder before she went to check on Thalia.

When she got there, she took her backpack off and started sifting through its contents, looking for something that would help Thalia's headache.

So far, she'd found wads of cash, ambrosia, nectar, a first aid kit, water bottles, energy bars, and a bottle of Tylenol. How all of these things fit in the weightless bag, she would never know.

As Annabeth handed Thalia the water and Tylenol, she explained what had happened. How Percy had found her and fought the monsters. She explained that after he had saved them, he'd left the bag full of supplies.

However, Annabeth didn't tell her about the conversation she'd had on the couch, or Percy's name. She had the feeling they weren't supposed to know. She also withheld information about the coin. She planned to get a better look at it later; Annabeth was sure there was something special about it, but she'd never know until further examination.

Thalia looked at her with concern. "That was a risky thing to do. You could've been killed, Annabeth."

Annabeth became defensive - the man had saved them! "What did you want me to do, let you and Luke die?

"I suppose you're right. Don't do it again." Thalia sighed. "Did the guy leave you anything else besides water? I'd rather not eat another Jack in the Crack burrito."

Annabeth showed off the contents of the bag and her new knife, making Thalia give an appreciative whistle.

"The guy must really like us. There's at least three thousand dollars here. Are you sure this guy was a demigod? Most people don't have this type of money lying around."

Annabeth and Thalia sat there for a while talking as Luke and Grover woke up. It wasn't until Thalia got tired of hearing Grover's sleep talk that she shocked them awake.

"Come on sleeping beauties, we have to move. The monsters aren't going to be too far behind."

Luke groggily got on his feet, holding his head in his hands. "What happened?"

"We were captured by monsters and Annabeth saved us. Now let's move."

"Fine, but I want an explanation later," he grumbled.

**-0-**

Perseus found himself falling out of a tree, which wasn't the worst situation he'd been in. He hit the ground with a thud and groaned as he felt his bones break in multiple places.

His entire right arm was broken and he was pretty sure his leg wasn't supposed to bend that way. As he thought about how he would get himself out of the predicament, a golden flash of light appeared.

"Great landing Perseus - or should I call you Percy?"

Perseus rolled his eyes at Helios and used his non-broken hand - he thought it wasn't broken - to give the Titan a one fingered salute.

Helios continued prodding him. "What happened to that bag of supplies you always carry around? I don't see it anywhere."

"Are you always this annoying or have I just forgotten?"

Helios waved his hand and gallons of water fell onto Perseus. "You should be more thankful - I did teach you how to light travel."

As the water mended Perseus' bones and healed his cuts, Helios started inspecting his crooked leg. "Thank you Helios, I don't know where I would be if I wasn't able to travel through beams of light."

Helios scratched his head. "Was that sarcasm? I can never tell with you."

"No it wasn't, I'm _really_ grateful for your teachings. I'm so glad I barely understand this ability and often end up teleporting while I'm walking down the street."

"See! I knew I was a great teacher." Helios' smile was replaced by a frown. "Would you stop it? I'm really regretting sending you to the mortal world."

Helios tried to help set Perseus' leg back into place before he realized he was only an image. He settled on snapping his fingers and using some magic.

"It's not my fault you can't get it right. Like my father Hyperion always used to say, 'Be one with the light, and you'll get it right.'"

Perseus sat up and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Like I always say, I'm a son of Poseidon. Not the son of the Titan of Light. It's a little harder to imagine."

Helios waved him off. "Oh, pish posh. Just think of the light as water, it'll work out - probably."

With that helpful bit of advice, the image of Helios shimmered away, leaving Perseus by his lonesome - a recurring theme these past few hundred years.

Perhaps that was why he became fond of the child of Athena back there - she was in a similar situation to him. Alone.

Obviously she had friends. The son of Hermes and daughter of Zeus were good examples - maybe even that weird satyr. But they seemed to be closer together than they were with Annabeth.

It reminds Perseus of himself. Helios and Selene are close, and he's the afterthought - only visited every few decades or so.

Thinking back on the events in Brooklyn, he was curious as to what his own words had meant. He remembered giving the child a warning of the future, but he had no idea as to where it came from. He began to suspect that he got more from his blessing from Helios than he initially realized.

He began to stretch his limbs, feeling the many cracks and pops falling from a tree would cause. Everything seemed to be relatively fine. He took a deep breath and felt pressure on his lungs. Definitely not fine.

He summoned water from the ground and wrapped it under his shirt. It would be a temporary fix, but he had better things to do than waiting for his ribs to heal. Finding out where he was, was one of them.

Perseus began to wander around the forest, trying to discern where he was. Something felt eerily familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. It wasn't until he met a particularly clustered grove of trees did he realize where he was.

He walked around the impenetrable wall of trees until he reached the hidden entrance. He placed his hand on the bark of a tree and the Greek letter psi appeared in a deep blue.

The wall of thorns and vines next to him unfurled out the way, leaving Perseus a path into his home. He took his time as he walked along the stone path, looking at the endless rows of trees around him.

If there was one thing he enjoyed in life, visiting this place would be one of them. The serenity he felt here as the birds sang around him was surreal - likely due to the magic he had placed.

The beauty of his hidden world rivaled Olympus itself - a place he had snuck in to on multiple occasions.

However, it was different from the grand marble columns and statues that Olympus had. It was beautiful in a different way, a natural way. There was nothing grand about it. It held centuries of work, not the near instant construction of the city of the gods.

He walked into a clearing that once held his childhood home, a sad smile adorning his face.

He ignored checking his gardens or cabin, he knew his magical servants would keep them in pristine condition. However, there was one spot he forbade them to go near.

He knelt down and dusted off the small headstone he had placed there. "Hey, Mom. It's been a while."

**Here's chapter nine. As always, it's on time - brats. Fair warning, my beta said to keep your traps shut and wait patiently for the next chapter. I would listen to her if I were you, she's quite scary.**

**In all seriousness, thank you guys for reading this. I couldn't ask for a better audience. Well, I probably could, but I'll take what I can get.**


	10. X

**New York City, New York**

**June 20th, 2006**

Sweet on America. It was probably Perseus' favorite store in all of New York. The sweets served at the small store in Grand Central were among the greatest he'd ever tasted - probably because he'd never eaten candy from anywhere else, but he never cared too much for technicalities.

He walked into the candy shop and the mixed smells of sugar and chocolate slammed into him like a truck. As always, he greeted the workers warmly. "Hey Nat, how has your day been?"

He loved the store. He knew everyone here, and they all knew him.

Natalie shrugged her shoulders as she moved behind the counter. "Same as usual Percy; kids never know what they want, parents never want to be here, and I'm stuck in the middle."

Perseus was inclined to laugh, but something felt off around him. He started looking around and immediately found the source of his problems. "Where's Sally?"

Sally Jackson was another worker here at Sweet on America. In Perseus' opinion, she was probably the nicest woman he's ever met.

Surprisingly enough, she was clear-sighted. However, it was less of a surprise when he saw a small boy with sea green eyes bouncing around the shop from time to time - Poseidon was never one to stay put.

Natalie looked around, as confused as him. "I'm not sure. She hasn't been here for a while. Nobody's seen her since she left for her trip to Montauk."

The small bell atop the door rang, announcing that another person has entered the store.

It was a child, probably around seven or eight years old. Perseus internally groaned - children always decided to show up whenever he was having a conversation. However, this child didn't seem to be one that ran here at the first sign of candy.

She walked up to the counter where Natalie was waiting. "Excuse me Miss, do you have any Greek candy?"

At the mention of Greek, Perseus took a closer look at the girl and nearly face palmed himself as he saw the flames in her eyes.

Thankfully, Natalie didn't know what a Greek goddess was supposed to look like. "I'm sorry sweetie, we stopped selling those years ago. Why don't you wait here and we can call your family?"

Hestia didn't miss a beat. "My family is right here." She turned towards him and waved. "Hi Uncle P."

Thankfully, Perseus saw where this was going. "I told you Heather, I was going to get the candy for you. You were supposed to distract your parents."

'Heather' shrugged. "They saw you come over here - you're really bad at hiding. They said we were leaving right now."

Perseus didn't like where this was going. "I'll be right there - I got to do something first."

'Heather' nodded and skipped away wordlessly.

As she left, Natalie turned to him. "You have a niece?"

Perseus rolled his eyes. "No. Heather just calls me that - I'm good friends with her parents."

Natalie nodded and started boxing a desert. "I'm guessing you want the usual?"

**-0-**

Percy walked around Grand Central, bag of desserts in hand, trying to figure out where a goddess would wait for a meeting. After a while, he gave up and sat on a bench. It wasn't long until Hestia appeared next to him.

"Why can't you immortals just be straightforward for once?"

Hestia gave him a stern look. "This is a serious situation, Perseus. War has nearly broken out on Olympus. The only thing preventing the world from being destroyed is a quest your little brother is leading."

Perseus blinked once. Twice. He finally seemed to realize that Hestia wasn't joking. "Theseus? He's just a kid! What's he doing on a quest?"

Hestia shrugged. "He's traveling across the country in search of Zeus' master bolt along with a few of his friends. Currently, they're stuck in the Lotus Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas."

Perseus immediately stormed out Grand Central, spewing curses profane enough to make a sailor impressed.

**Las Vegas, June 20th**

Perseus walked into the Lotus Hotel, sword in hand and backpack on his back, ready to get this over with. He flicked up his hood, shrouding his face in case anything got out of hand.

Perseus hated this place. The foul magic that shrouded the casino made him feel vulnerable, as if he could forget all the problems in the world and lay down his weapons. But that was the magic the Lotus Eaters held.

He moved straight to the arcade - if a bunch of preteen kids would be anywhere, it was there.

He walked through the rows of machines, the incessant clicking and high pitched noises annoying him to no end. Anytime he stopped to look at one, he became exponentially more confused - like many things in the modern world, Perseus didn't understand video games. The closest thing he's played to a video game was Pac-Man, and Perseus was fairly sure that was outdated.

Perseus stopped in his tracks as he saw a familiar set of raven black hair. Naturally, his half brother was playing a new shooter game with a man who's clothes vaguely reminded him of Elvis Presley.

"Theseus." Perseus walked up to him and snapped just fingers in his face, trying to gain his attention.

"Oh, for gods' sake." He summoned water from the waterslide and splashed it on Theseus' head, frying the game and snapping both players out of their trance.

"Not groovy, dude." Elvis threw his gun to the ground and walked away.

Theseus rubbed his eyes and looked around wildly, trying to figure out where the water came from.

Finally, his eyes landed on Perseus. "Who are you?"

Oh right. The hood. He quickly pulled it down and rolled his eyes at Theseus' shocked look.

"There's no time for explanations kid, I need to get you out of here. Where are your friends?"

Theseus opened his mouth, but no words came out. Perseus didn't have time for this. "Fine, I'll find them myself. What do they look like?"

Theseus finally seemed to find his voice. "One has blonde princess curls, the other is a satyr."

Perseus nodded and started walking off, praying that Theseus didn't start asking him questions until they left. Unfortunately, he'd never been a lucky person.

"How long have you been a demigod?"

"Since I was born," he replied impatiently.

Theseus looked annoyed by his answer. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know."

Perseus knew he could be coming off as mean or rude, but he really didn't care - the longer they were in this casino, the higher the risk became. Thankfully, he spotted what could be the second member of this quest, working tirelessly at some city building game.

He tried to splash water on the machine, but that only served to flood the virtual city. However, destroying all of her work made the girl furious enough to turn around.

"Who do you think you are?"

The girl pulled out a familiar celestial bronze knife and looked ready to cut him to ribbons.

Perseus uncapped Riptide and disarmed her before she even knew what was happening. "Don't try to fight me, Annabeth, I'm the one that gave you that knife."

That seemed to confuse Annabeth enough to break the magic. "Percy?"

Theseus stepped in between the two. "Wait, you guys know each other?"

Perseus rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Yes, I know her. Just like I know you. Now, can we go find your friend and leave this death trap?"

"How do you know Theseus?"

Perseus capped Riptide and was about to respond when he heard a shrill war cry.

"Die, filthy human!"

Perseus, grateful for the save, looked around for the source of the voice and saw a satyr violently shooting a fake gun at a screen. If Perseus didn't know any better, he would think the satyr was fighting to save the world.

"Die filthy, disgusting, polluting humans!"

Perseus didn't waste any time and punched the goat hard in the temples, sending the satyr sprawling to the floor unconscious. He picked him up and slung him over his shoulders.

"Come on, we have to leave."

Theseus looked like he wanted to protest the treatment of his friend, but Annabeth shut him up with a look. Perseus found the action curious, but that was a conversation he could have later.

As they passed the front desk, the man stepped out from behind and stopped them. "Are you ready for—"

The bellhop shut up at the glare Perseus gave him, his face as pale as a ghost. It would seem they still remembered what happened the last time they tried to keep him here. Good.

He left the casino unimpeded and took in a breath of relief. Only a few hours had passed.

Theseus, however, did not look so relieved. "What day is it?"

"The twentieth of June, why?"

The look of fear that spread across the faces of Annabeth and Theseus was almost comical. "We only have one day left to complete our quest."

"Well, I guess your questions will have to wait." Perseus let out a loud whistle and watched a taxi speed its way there. "Where to?"

"Los Angeles. We need to get to the Underworld," was the response from Annabeth.

Perseus nodded and started wondering whose bright idea it was to send children on quests to Hades' doorstep.

He hopped in the cab, threw Grover in the back seat, and told the driver, "Los Angeles - make it fast."

Annabeth and Theseus came in the cab and sat next to him, Annabeth complaining about having to take the middle seat.

The cabbie ignored the two and turned his attention to Perseus. "That's three hundred miles away. You'll have to pay upfront."

Perseus nodded. "You take debit cards?"

He shrugged and took a puff of his cigar. "I don't see why not, you sure you got enough money on it?"

Perseus pulled a silver, metal card out of his pocket and handed it to the driver.

The driver held the card skeptically, obviously not recognizing the brand - likely because he'd never seen it.

He shrugged his shoulders and swiped it, what came next was somewhat of a normal occurrence. The car started rattling. The speedometer spun wildly around and multiple lights flickered. Finally, a number so large it couldn't fit next to the dollar sign came up.

The driver's cigar fell from his mouth and he turned back to Perseus, eyes bugged. "Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Majesty?"

"DOA Recording Studios. The faster we get there, the larger the tip."

Perseus didn't think he'd ever seen a man slam the gas pedal so fast.

He waited until the cabbie closed the privacy window until he started speaking. "Alright, now I can answer your questions."

In retrospect, he probably should've worded that better. What he got in response was a jumble of words, phrases and sounds that he couldn't discern.

He decided to wait until they realized he couldn't tell what they were saying - they had been patient with him, it was only fair he do the same.

Perseus blocked out the sounds and unslung his backpack. He pulled the bag of desserts out along with some plates and plastic cutlery.

Perseus started cutting up pieces of fudge for himself. Theseus and Annabeth immediately quieted down and watched on in confusion.

"If you want, you should probably ask."

Soon enough, everyone, with the exception of an unconscious satyr, was chowing down on slightly melted chocolate.

"Now," Perseus said in between bites, "Why don't we try and talk like civilized human beings."

Perseus answered their questions first, telling them how he'd lived for thousands of years, that he was a son of Poseidon - something Theseus particularly found interesting - and other small details they questioned. Somewhere halfway through the makeshift interview, Grover had awakened and was caught up to speed.

Even though Perseus was generous with the descriptions of who he was, he tried to be vague when talking about his past - it probably wasn't the best thing to share with children. He also didn't mention Helios or Selene. Perseus trusted those demigods, but the gods were a nosy group of people who liked to listen in on conversations.

He knew they wanted to know more, but as they neared Los Angeles, Perseus needed to know more about their quest. "What exactly are a bunch of kids doing on their way to the Underworld?"

They all looked to each other, as if they were having some silent conversation. Eventually, Grover and Theseus both looked to Annabeth, who shrugged her shoulders and nodded.

It was Theseus who finally broke the silence. "We're trying to retrieve Zeus' master bolt from Hades and prevent a war between the gods."

Perseus nodded absently, as he already knew this, but there was something in Theseus' voice that made Perseus believe he wasn't hearing the whole story.

He was going to question him on it when he noticed a backpack that wasn't there before. "Where'd you get that?"

"Hm? Oh." Theseus seemed to just realize the bag was there. "It was a 'gift' from Ares for getting his shield back. It keeps following me around, I think there's still some Oreos in there if you want one."

Perseus eyed the bag strangely... something felt off about it. It gave off a weird type of energy, one that he'd never felt before in magical backpacks, and he owned a lot of magical backpacks - there was a large sale on Olympus.

He decided to inspect it after the quest - it was likely some godly enchantment that wass reserved exclusively for the Olympians.

He continued to question them about the quest, asking about the events leading up to it, what they'd encountered, and the prophecy.

Perseus particularly cracked up for a good five minutes when he heard that Theseus sent Medusa's head to Olympus.

He eventually calmed down and in between small chuckles said, "The blood of Poseidon is truly a marvel to behold. You did good kid, I just hope Apollo is the one to find the box."

Perseus listened to the tale of their quest with fascination. It wasn't everyday you hear of some preteens fighting the Chimera and jumping off six-hundred-foot tall national monuments.

Finally, they reached their destination as the sun was beginning to set. Like promised, he gave the driver a generous tip - his mother didn't raise a liar.

Grover, Annabeth, and Theseus spilled out of the car, complaining about how the fudge was making their stomachs hurt.

"If you think you want to throw up now, just wait until we see the Fields of Punishment."

Perseus gave them a few minutes to gather their bearings before he ushered them to the door. "Come on, we don't have all day."

As Perseus walked through the doors, he felt his street clothes change into a set of Celestial Bronze armor - better to be safe than sorry.

He checked his weapons as he waited for the questers to follow him. Anaklusmos? Check. Bow and quiver? Check. Knives? Too many to check. Flintlock? Check. Leonidas' shield? Check. Sunspear? Check. As far as Perseus was concerned, he was ready to go.

Annabeth, Theseus and Grover walked in warily, no doubt scared of the ghouls all around him. Perseus motioned them closer. "Stay behind, and let me do the talking."

They all nodded, but Annabeth looked confused - likely not aware that there was supposed to be any talking.

Perseus walked up to the front desk and rang the little bell. "Hello Charon, I see your sense of fashion hasn't improved any."

Charon lowered the newspaper he was reading. "Ah, if it isn't the Spartan. Let me guess, you want to go to the Underworld? You know the rules, the living are not allowed on my boat."

Perseus rolled his eyes and tossed a small bag of drachmas in the air, snatching it away before Charon could grab it. "Are you certain about that? I believe these coins would be able to buy you something of much higher quality than… whatever you're wearing."

Charon eyed the bag greedily and looked at his own clothes, likely imagining himself in some new suit. "I think we can work something out."

"Good, make sure you have room for four on that boat."

Charon nearly fell out of his chair. "Four!? There is no way I am —"

Perseus started dangling another, much larger bag of coins in front of Charon's face, immediately shutting up the ferryman. He dumped half the contents of the bag on the counter, golden drachmas spilling everywhere. "You get the rest after we cross the Styx."

Charon scrambled to pick up all the coins and held them up to his eyes, seeming to savor the look of gold. Gods. They're always so materialistic.

Charon put the coins in a seemingly bottomless wallet and straightened up. "You strike a hard bargain, Spartan, but I think the terms are acceptable. Come along."

Charon started walking to an elevator, shoving spirits out the way, occasionally insulting one. Perseus went with him and the questers followed.

Annabeth tugged at his arm. "You've been here before?"

Perseus shrugged. "Once or twice."

He heard Charon snort from ahead of him but he never said anything.

Charon led them inside the elevator and inserted a key card. "If anybody touches my radio I'll keep you here until the next ice age! Understand?"

With that cheery statement, he closed the doors and the elevator began its descent.

Perseus turned to the questers in the elevator, who had decided to stay as far away from Charon as possible. "When we get down there, you must stay close to me. There are many… temptations… down in the Underworld. If a voice is telling you to jump into a river, don't listen to it - trust me on that."

Perseus tried to sound as jokingly as possible to make light of this situation - they were kids after all - but he prayed they actually listened to his advice. There were far worse things in the Underworld than a few rivers….

The elevator started moving forward, the motion being accompanied by Charon's suit changing to a hood and robes along with the elevator slowly morphing into a small boat.

He saw Theseus looking into the murky, black waters of the Styx and immediately grabbed his shoulder. "I warned you, things will tempt you down here. You must resist. One splash of that water would make you feel like every atom in your body was being ripped apart."

Theseus immediately scooted away from the edge of the boat. Perseus nodded and looked forward, seeing that they were nearing the other side of the river.

The shore glimmered a greenish light, a color of poison. He saw the hordes of ghosts waiting for judgement, their transparent bodies constantly flickering as if they couldn't comprehend they were dead.

None of this fazed Perseus - he had been here countless times before - but he could see the doubt and fear in the eyes of the demigods and satyr. He would give them encouraging words, but anything he said would be a flat-out lie. They were in the Underworld, the home of monsters and cranky gods. There was nothing _encouraging_ about it.

They reached the shore and Grover immediately jumped out of the boat, Annabeth and Theseus quickly following. Perseus tossed the bag of drachmas to Charon and took his time getting off the boat. "If all goes well, I'll be seeing you soon, Charon."

"Oh I don't doubt that." Charon let out an unflattering snort. "Although, I do question whether you'll return as the living, or just another soul for me to ferry."

As the boat began moving back across the river, a deep, long laugh could be heard from Charon.

Perseus turned around and saw how hopeless the demigods looked. It was only now that Perseus realized the gravity of the situation. These were a bunch of kids, sent to the Underworld after hardly any training, and were on their way to face the Lord of the Dead, the weight of the world resting on their shoulders. Perseus admired their bravery.

Off in the distance, he heard a loud, ear-shattering howl, causing everyone to jump at the sudden noise.

Perseus was the only one to recognize it. "Cerberus is hungry. That could complicate things."

Grover stared at him like he was crazy. "You don't say?"

Perseus shrugged. "Well it depends on what type of mood he is in. Come on - we don't want to keep the Lord of the Dead waiting forever, do we?"

Grover was hesitant to follow him, seeming to seriously consider the option of just not showing up.

"Not a chance, Goat Boy," said Annabeth. "We came this far, we might as well finish it."

Perseus followed the spirits up a path, trying to reassure the worried demigods that the bloodthirsty howls ahead of them were nothing to be afraid of - he had given up trying to convince Grover a long time ago.

As Perseus was about fifty feet away from the EZ death line, the green mist in front of them shimmered. "Oh stop hiding, Spot. I can see you."

Behind him, Theseus looked to Annabeth in confusion. He couldn't tell exactly what was going on, but he was sure a few questions were shared between the two. Grover was next to him, sniffing the air. "It smells like dog here."

Perseus winked at him. "I'm sure it does, Goaty."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag of dog treats. "If you let us pass, I'll give you the whole bag."

Perseus was sure they all thought he was crazy at this point. Thankfully, 'Spot,' made his appearance with a loud bark.

In front of him, a twenty foot tall, three headed dog appeared.

Theseus' mouth fell wide open. "Cerberus is a Rottweiler."

Annabeth was equally shocked. "You called the guard dog of the Underworld Spot."

He shrugged. "Hades named him, not me." Perseus shook the bag of treats again. "Do we have a deal?"

He could see the indecision in all six of Cerberus' eyes. The left head started yapping at the middle, while both the middle and right head argued against the one on the left. Finally, the left head accepted his defeat.

"Get ready to run," he whispered behind him. Perseus didn't wait for any confirmation before he tossed the bag of treats in the air. Immediately, the three-headed dog started fighting with itself to get the treats.

He ushered Annabeth, Theseus and Grover through the EZ death line and didn't stop running until they were a good mile away from Cerberus.

Perseus let out a small smile. "It works every time."

Next to him, Annabeth was trying to catch her breath. "I would've… used... a rubber ball."

He opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by a sudden yelp. He turned around and watched the scene in confusion.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

Grover was desperately tugging at the ground. "I'm not mess — aaahhh!"

Grover started flying away, his winged shoes taking him downhill. Perseus tried to make a grab for his leg, but it was too late. They started running after him.

Grover was doing a great job keeping himself calm. "Help! Call 9-1-1! Do something!"

"Untie your shoe!" Annabeth shouted.

Perseus thought it was a good idea, however, as Grover tried to sit up, his weak abdominal muscles proved to be his downfall.

Perseus picked up his pace, trying to grab Grover before he barreled straight into the gates of Hades's palace. His fingertips were a few inches away now.

Perseus dived for it. Instead of grabbing a flying satyr, Perseus found himself crashing into the ground empty-handed.

He shook his head and tried to find where the shoes had gone. It didn't take him long to start hearing Grover's screams again. The shoes had taken a sharp right turn, far away from the palace.

He tried to figure out where the shoes could be flying towards. Elysium was north. The Fields of Punishment were to his left. That only left… as realization hit him, Perseus' eyes widened.

He scrambled to his feet and broke into a sprint, running faster than anyone in bronze armour had a right to. Even at this pace, he wasn't going to catch them.

As Grover started to near the cavern, a miracle happened. One of the shoes fell off, slowing Grover down enough that he was able to grab hold of a cypress tree.

He finally caught up to Theseus and Annabeth.

"Grover, kick it off!"

Theseus seemed desperate as he screamed, as if he knew where that cavern led. But that would be impossible. It was more likely that he could feel the aura emitting from the cavern - the malice resonating around them. It all felt dark. He doubted Theseus would want his friend to go down there.

"It's a lot harder to do that when you have hooves!"

Just as Perseus reached Grover once more, the satyr lost his grip and was sent flying into the cavern.

As Perseus ran into the cavern, Theseus and Annabeth trailing him, he heard a deep laughter that sent shivers down his spine.

As Grover neared a pit, he was finally able to kick the other shoe off his hoof and was sent tumbling to the ground.

Perseus breathlessly reached the satyr and dragged him away from the edge. Theseus and Annabeth caught up with them and collapsed on the obsidian colored gravel.

Theseus and Annabeth started checking on their friend, but Perseus' attention was focused elsewhere.

He looked towards the pit, his ears perked up. There was a voice. It was barely a whisper, but definitely there. It was chanting in something that Perseus couldn't identify.

As the words got louder, Annabeth and Theseus also turned to the pit - Grover was still asking for enchiladas. Perseus unsheathed Anaklusmos, using the glow the Celestial Bronze gave off as a light.

It wasn't until the chanting turned angry that Perseus realized what was happening. "Run!"

Annabeth and Theseus helped a bleeding Grover to his hooves and the four of them sprinted back out the cavern.

A cold blast of wind pulled at their backs, causing Perseus to trip. However, he was able to keep his balance and stay up. Theseus on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

"Annabeth, get Grover out of here!"

Perseus didn't wait for a response and quickly turned back to grab his half-brother. He reached Theseus and started pulling him away from the pit, fighting the invisible force trying to drag him to the deepest depths of the Underworld.

"Don't let go, Theseus!"

Theseus gripped his arm with both hands. "What a great idea, Percy. Why didn't I think of that?"

Perseus decided to ignore the remark for now, and prayed his abilities worked down here. As he started channeling his powers, he felt his eyes turn a bright shade of gold, startling Theseus.

"Uhh Percy? Your eyes—"

"Not now, Theseus!" He snapped back.

He formed a small golden ball of fire in his hands and tossed it into the pit. The fire continued down the pit, and the wind pulling Theseus and Perseus died down significantly.

"Move!"

Theseus and Perseus scrambled out the cavern. As they ran out, Grover and Annabeth shot to their feet.

"Get away from the entrance!" Perseus warned them.

They didn't need to be told twice.

After a sudden explosion, a wall of golden flames shot out the cavern, incinerating the air around them.

For one of the few times in her life, Annabeth felt completely clueless. "What the Hades was that?"

Perseus took a few deep breaths. "That… was the entrance to Tartarus… the deepest part of the Underworld."

Perseus could see the gears moving in Annabeth's head. She had an idea as to who could be down in that pit, and Perseus did too. He locked eyes with her and shook his head. Now wasn't the time to cause panic.

Theseus interrupted their silent conversation. "We should probably start moving again. I don't think we have a lot of time left."

Perseus nodded his agreement and they started walking.

"Maybe you could explain the giant inferno that fried the entire cavern on our way there?"

Perseus really didn't want to answer that question, but if there's one thing he'd learned in his long lifetime, it's that children of Athena don't take 'no' for an answer.

"Let's just say it's a trick I learned from a friend and leave it at that, hmm?"

Annabeth crossed her arms and Perseus could feel her eyes boring a hole into the back of his skull.

Theseus joined in her curiosity. "Since when was throwing fire bombs a part of being a son of Poseidon?"

At this point, Perseus was just grateful Grover didn't try to bring his questions in. If Perseus had to guess, he'd say Grover was scared of him - probably because Perseus had knocked him out and threw him in the back of a taxi.

"You know." Perseus started walking backwards so he could see them. "I've never heard of a child of Poseidon and Athena working so closely together. Would either of you care to explain these odd circumstances?"

Both of them turned away from each other, not able to hide the blush that was creeping up either of their faces.

Perseus struggled to contain his laughter, and as realization made its way to Grover's eyes, he did too. Young love, what a beautiful thing to behold.

They walked the rest of the way to Hades's palace in silence - minus a few snickers and giggles that were heard from Grover.

He walked into the palace courtyard, wary of the Furies circling above them. "Don't go anywhere near that garden."

Perseus motioned to the garden of Persephone, and they all seemed to understand. For a bunch of teenagers, these kids were well acquainted with Greek mythology - what were they teaching in those schools nowadays?

He walked up to the palace doors and moved to open them when two skeletons dressed in army fatigues stopped him.

Perseus was ready to start fighting them until they moved out the way. A hot gust of air moved down the corridor and the doors swung open.

Perseus waved them forward. "It's your quest, you have to lead it."

They all nodded and walked forward, no hesitation in their steps. These kids were either really brave, or really foolish - he hadn't decided yet.

As they walked ahead of him, Perseus noticed Theseus fiddling with the straps on his backpack. He also noticed something odd about the magical bag: there was a large cylinder that definitely wasn't there before.

He stopped walking and started looking at the bag more closely. Theseus had said it was a gift from Ares, filled with supplies. Something kept picking at Perseus' mind. The magic radiating off the bag was odd, as if it were trying to hide what it really was…

Perseus was brought back to reality as Hades started screaming. "You were the one to steal my helm!"

Helm? Perseus looked around and saw Theseus arguing back and forth with Hades, an army of skeletons surrounding them. Unintentionally, Perseus had shrouded himself in the Mist, concealing his presence.

"You stole it, and have come to bargain with me so I'd support your father in this war!"

War. The word rattled in his head - it meant something, something big. It wasn't until Hades started bargaining Theseus' mom for the master bolt did he realize what happened.

"Hades! These children did not steal your hat!"

Hades turned to him. "You! What are you doing here, Spartan? Have you not caused enough disorder in my domain?"

Perseus tried to talk, but the Lord of the Dead was already ranting.

"Ever since you arrived, everything has been ruined! You turned the guard dog of the Underworld into a house pet! Charon has been obsessed with Italian suits. Don't even get me started on what you did in the fields of Asphodel —"

Perseus wanted to stay for his rant - it seemed entertaining - but there were far more important things to do. He grabbed Grover, Theseus, and Annabeth and tried to light travel away, praying that Helios would take him where he needed to go.

**-0-**

Either Helios was really confused, or a destroyed Santa Monica Pier was where Perseus needed to be. He landed face first in the sand. Perseus looked up, and saw that Grover, Annabeth and Theseus had landed on their feet.

He started glaring at the sun.

"Theseus, come over here." Perseus got on a knee and looked Theseus in the eyes. "Your mother will be fine. Hades will have his helm, Zeus will have his lightning bolt, and your mother will be safe."

The events of today seemed to catch up to the twelve-year-old and Theseus looked to be on the verge of tears, believing that all is lost. "How, Percy? How? We don't even know where Hades's helmet is!"

Perseus looked down the beach where a man in biker clothing was leaning against a motorcycle. "I have a few ideas."

He brushed the sand off his helmet and made his way down the beach.

When Ares saw Perseus approaching, a grin broke out on his face. "If it isn't the ever so elusive Spartan. Listen to your god, go bring me the master bolt."

Perseus unsheathed Riptide and unslung his shield. "I don't know how much your memory has diluted, but I clearly remember Athena being the patron goddess of Sparta. Perhaps it's your old age causing your memory loss?"

That seemed to agitate Ares, but he tried to hide it with a smirk. "Those kids were supposed to die back there."

"I'm sure you had that all planned out, Ares."

Ares grinned. "Of course I did. Hades kills those kids. Old Seaweed gets mad at Hades for killing his kid. Corpse Breath will have the master bolt so Zeus will be mad at him. And Hades would still be trying to find this…"

He took a black ski cap from his pocket and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate, bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

Perseus turned and faced them. He hadn't noticed them making their way here. "Leave. This isn't the best place to be right now."

Ares started laughing. "Yes. Leave, let the adults do the talking."

Theseus was ready to argue, but Annabeth grabbed his wrist and stopped him before he could say anything. Theseus seemed to get the message and started backing away.

"Tell me Ares." The god of war stopped laughing and focused his attention on Perseus. "Why not keep the weapons for yourself? With the master bolt and helm of darkness at your disposal, you'd be nigh unstoppable."

Ares' mouth twitched and he looked like he was listening to something. "Why didn't… yeah… with that kind of firepower…"

Perseus waited one second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Finally, Ares seemed to snap out of his trance.

"I didn't want the trouble. If someone caught me with them, I'd have all of Olympus hunting me down."

"Don't even begin to think I'll believe that lie, none of this was your idea," Perseus said. "You're being controlled by what's down in the Pit."

"Of course it was!" From behind Ares's glasses, Perseus could see smoke rising.

"You didn't even order the theft. Zeus probably sent you to find the real thief, which you clearly did. However, something convinced you to let them go."

"I am the god of war! I don't take orders from anyone!"

Perseus stepped into the surf. If he were to fight a god, he'd need every advantage. Immediately, Perseus felt the surge of energy that came with being in his father's domain.

The same smirk returned to Ares's face, this time, much more forced. "Let's get back to the problem at hand. Those kids are still alive, and they still have Zeus's master bolt. You're stopping me from finishing them. It looks like I have to kill you now. Nothing personal."

Ares snapped his fingers and a boar exploded out the sand, charging at Perseus. The second the pig reached the water, Perseus used his powers to drag it to the bottom of the ocean.

"Fight me yourself, Ares, or are you going to keep sending your lookalikes?"

Ares' smirk was wiped off his face. "Watch it, Spartan, I can easily turn you into a slug and crush you beneath my feet."

"What else would I expect from the great god of war? A man who wouldn't fight a mere demigod such as myself."

Fire was dancing across the top of Ares' glasses. "You're really asking for it now."

Perseus didn't back down from the challenge. "Fight me, Ares. You win, you can take the bolt and helm. I win, they're both coming with me, and you have to leave - no curses, no minions, you accept your defeat like a good little godling."

"Oh this is going to be fun." Ares summoned a massive, two-handed broadsword. "How do you want your beating, modern or classic?"

Perseus showed off his sword.

"Classic it is."

Perseus took a step back and waited for Ares to make the first move. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

Ares barreled straight at Perseus, trying to bisect him in a single cut. Perseus easily dodged it, using the water to propel him away from the blade.

Perseus started playing a deadly game of tag with Ares's sword. He dodged and weaved through Ares' strikes as Perseus tried to figure out his fighting style. He discovered that Ares fought the same way as Helios: based purely off brute strength.

Halfway through their fight, sirens started blaring all around them.

"This is the police! Put your hands where I can see them!"

Ares turned his attention away from Perseus and to the mortals. "This is a private matter. Begone!"

He waved his hand and a wall of flames rolled across the police cars, barely giving the officers time to run before their vehicles exploded.

Ares let out a near maniacal laugh. "Now, let's add you to the barbecue."

Ares sprinted right at Perseus, sword raised high. Unlike last time, Perseus met his charge with full force, sprinting right at the god of war.

In the middle of his charge, Perseus threw his shield at Ares's exposed midsection, forcing the god of war to clutch his stomach.

Perseus continued his charge and feinted a slash upwards. Dazed, Ares easily fell for it.

In one, quick motion, Perseus slid under Ares' legs, unholstered his flintlock, and let loose a shot into his back, sending Ares tumbling in the surf.

Ares cried out in pain, creating a sound so loud Perseus thought Los Angeles was experiencing another earthquake.

For good measure, Perseus reloaded and hit him again, this time, directly in the spine.

Ares bellowed once more, but most of it was cut short by him flashing away.

Perseus picked up his shield and looked all around him. Five police cars were burning. All civilians had left the area. The only things left on the beach were Grover, Theseus, Annabeth, a few destroyed lifeguard towers, and Ares's motorcycle.

He sat on the motorcycle, revved the engine a few times, and grabbed the helm of darkness.

Perseus transformed his armour into a more appropriate attire for the environment: a tee shirt, jeans, and aviator glasses.

"I don't know about you kids, but I'm enjoying the weather."

Each of them looked at him like he had just lost his mind, which was understandable.

Grover broke the silence. "You're bleeding - badly."

Oh. Perseus looked down at himself and saw a number of cuts and gashes spread across his arms and legs.

He was about to summon some water to try and heal himself when he heard the flapping of leather bat wings from above his head.

The Fury Alecto landed in front of him. "We saw everything. It would seem they are not the thieves. Give us the helm, we shall return it to our master."

"Make sure Hades pays his debts." Perseus lowered his voice so only the Furies could hear him. "If you ever go near those kids again, I'll make the Field of Punishment look like a child's daycare."

Alecto's flaming whip started crackling. "Is that a threat, demigod?"

Perseus's eyes turned a bright shade of silver and the temperature around them dropped to freezing. "It's a promise."

He tossed them the helm and they flew away, going to gods knew where.

Perseus turned back to Theseus. "Come on kid, we have to get back to New York."

"Percy, how do you expect us to get there? New York is nearly three-thousand miles away."

Perseus looked to Ares's oversized motorcycle. "It'll be a tight fit, but I have a few ideas."

**Camp Half-Blood, Long Island**

**June 21st, 2006**

Perseus dropped Theseus off at Olympus, and took Grover and Annabeth to Camp Half-Blood - a place he'd neglected throughout the years.

Perseus told Annabeth to meet him with Theseus on the beach at sunset, he wanted to talk to them before he left. That was nearly four hours ago. They should be here anytime soon - unless there are multiple beaches at the camp, which could prove problematic.

He stared out at the ocean, watching the sun paint an image of near unrivaled beauty. He looked up to the sky, which was a collage of reds and violets, weaved together by the glittering ocean. Perseus closed his eyes and basked in the warm light - this was Helios's way of apologizing, and he was loving it.

From behind him, Perseus heard two pairs of footsteps, muffled by the sand.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Perseus let out a short bark of laughter. "You don't know how much you'd miss a view like this until you decide to explore the Gobi Desert."

Theseus stopped and scratched his head. "How do you do that?"

Perseus didn't answer and patted the sand on either side of him, inviting them to sit. Both happily obliged, Theseus choosing his left while Annabeth settled on the right.

Perseus looked each of them once in the eyes before he turned back to the sunset. "I'm leaving."

Before either of them could protest, he held up a hand. "There's no changing my decision. This is something I have to do."

"How long are you going to be gone?" Theseus asked.

Guilt started swelling up inside Perseus. Theseus had just figured out he had a brother, and now he was leaving.

"I don't know," Perseus said honestly. "However long it takes."

Perseus stood up and laid his backpack where he once sat. "Something is on the rise, something I have waited millennia to fight. I intend to figure out what that something is."

He opened the backpack, revealing a box of pizza, multiple carbonated drinks, and a variety of desserts - the wonders of magic.

"Make sure to Iris Message me if you need anything, but for now…" Perseus gave a wink to Theseus and got ready to light travel away. "Enjoy the sunset."

Perseus left in a spark of light, leaving the two young demigods to themselves.

**There's chapter 9, I hope you guys enjoyed it.**

**I cannot express how sorry I am for the extremely late upload. Throughout the past few weeks I have been going through some personal things, and I wasn't in the right headspace to write. Hope y'all can understand. Maybe the longer chapter makes up for it?**


	11. XI

**December, 2007**

**Westover Hall, Bar Harbor**

Percy watched from his position on the school roof as a car drove to the front of Westover Hall. It wasn't long until three kids, all in their early teens, jumped out and started making their way towards the doors.

He immediately recognized Theseus and Annabeth, although they did look a little different; a little taller, a little wiser - but that's to be expected with age.

However, it took him a few seconds to realize that the spiky haired girl walking alongside them was Thalia Grace. The last time he had seen Thalia, she was nearly eaten in a cyclops' lair. She didn't look older, but she had also been a tree for a while, so Percy didn't expect her to change much.

Perseus wanted to drop down and meet the demigods - it had been too long since he'd last seen them - but apparently they were on some mission. The last he heard of them was that Theseus and Annabeth had braved through the Sea of Monsters and fought Polyphemus for the Golden Fleece, saving Camp Half-Blood and thwarting the Titan lord's plans.

When Perseus heard that, he couldn't help but feel an immense amount of pride. Theseus and Annabeth were becoming great heroes, and even better people. There was no doubt in his mind that their names would be held in reverence for millennia to come.

Perseus was brought out of his musings by the sound of a hunting horn on the other side of the school. Curious, Percy made his way across the rooftop, careful not to make noise - the last thing he needed was some mortal wondering why a man wearing all black clothing was sitting on their roof.

When he saw the scene before him, he threw all caution to the wind and sprinted the rest of the way.

Theseus, Annabeth, and Thalia were fighting a manticore, protecting two people who Perseus assumed were demigods. He heard the sound of helicopter blades and tore his eyes away from the scene on the ground up to the air.

At around the same altitude as Perseus, a helicopter hovered in the air, outfitted with twin machine guns. Perseus took a closer look at the copter and saw a company name written across the side: it belonged to a mortal.

Perseus took a deep breath and ripped the moon charm off his new necklace. A black compound bow appeared in his hands - courtesy of Selene. The demigods were more than capable of handling a manticore. He needed to take care of the helicopter.

He nocked a steel-tipped arrow into his bow and took aim. There was some commotion below him, but he ignored it and stayed focused on his target. He adjusted his aim for the wind, drew the string back, and let the arrow fly.

Perseus's aim was true. The arrow sailed through the air and broke the glass window, hitting the pilot in the chest. The helicopter lost control and fell down the cliff, exploding as it hit the ground below. Oops.

"Fire!"

What? Perseus turned back towards where the manticore was and nearly fell off the roof in shock. Annabeth was on the back of the manticore and silver arrows were flying through the air. The manticore started making its way towards the edge of the cliff.

"No!"

Perseus quickly drew an arrow, but he couldn't get a clear shot. Annabeth was still on the monster's back.

Before the arrows reached it, the manticore jumped off the cliff, falling into the darkness below them, Annabeth in tow.

Perseus stood there for a while in disbelief. The image of Annabeth falling kept replaying over and over again in his mind, the terrified look on her face the last thing he saw. Finally, he snapped out of his trance and jumped off the roof, landing in a perfect roll. He transformed his clothing into armour and drew the sunspear.

Slowly, he made his way to the people responsible for this, his anger only increasing as he saw them sitting in their tents, doing nothing but chatting.

"What have you done!"

Perseus's voice cut through the air, silencing all conversations and bringing everyone's attention to him. The Hunters instantly drew their bows. Theseus looked shocked. Thalia seemed confused. The two kids somehow managed to look even more lost.

"You!" Came the response from Zoë Nightshade. "What are _you_ doing here?"

From under Perseus's helmet, his eyes blazed, powerful as the sun itself. At the sight, everyone instinctively took a step back. The snow all around him started melting. Perseus continued moving forward, each step scorching the earth.

"What am I doing here?" Perseus was ready to rip the huntress in half. "You're the one that just sent a little girl flying down a cliff!"

As the words left his mouth, Perseus's anger doubled. The only thing stopping him from running his spear through Nightshade's face was the presence of Artemis, who had been strangely quiet. Perseus was going to amend that.

"And what were you doing?" Perseus pointed an accusing finger at the goddess of the Hunt. "Watching as a maiden was thrown off of a _fucking_ mountain?"

In the back of his mind, a little voice told him that bringing up Annabeth was a maiden was unfair, but another, much louder voice said that he didn't care.

Artemis's silver eyes flared with anger. "You dare to speak to an Olympian like that?"

Perseus didn't back down. "I. Dare."

Golden flames began rolling across Perseus's body, further raising the blistering temperature he was emitting.

A silver arrow came flying towards Perseus's neck. It didn't get close. The projectile was burned to ashes far before it could hit him.

Perseus didn't turn towards his assailant, choosing to continue staring down the goddess in front of him.

Suddenly, the quiver on the back of Phoebe was set alight, bringing panic in the Hunt. Artemis quickly snapped her fingers and the fire was extinguished.

Theseus decided now was the best time to step between Perseus and the Hunt. "Hey Perce, it's nice to see you, but maybe you should back it up a little. It's not their fault Annabeth's gone."

Perseus turned towards Theseus and the fire in his eyes died down a bit.

He was about to respond when Zoë beat him to it. "You should listen to the boy, Spartan. It would seem he is far wiser than you."

That was it. Perseus whirled around, fully prepared to fight the Hunt and their little goddess.

Theseus grabbed his waist and tried to prevent him from attacking, but was quickly burned. "Ow!"

Perseus's eyes immediately turned back to their sea green shade and his older brother instincts kicked in. He inspected Theseus' hands and released a breath of relief when he saw they weren't burned too badly - the blood of Poseidon gave him some resistance to fire.

He turned back to the Hunters, who didn't know what to make of the situation. "For the sake of these children, I won't start a bloodbath. But mark my words: if Annabeth is killed, I will bring each and every one of you the same fate. This, I swear."

With that promise, he grabbed Theseus and walked away. "Come on, that burn is going to keep hurting unless I treat it."

Theseus wordlessly nodded and kept on walking. Perseus stopped when he was a good seventy feet away from the Hunters and dropped to a knee.

His armour reverted back to clothes and Perseus unslung his backpack. He took out a bottle of saltwater and a flask of nectar and got to work.

"Hey, Percy?" Theseus asked. "Why are you here?"

Perseus understood the question. He hadn't seen them in over a year, and now he randomly shows up.

"I wanted to surprise you." Percy let out a frustrated sigh and punched the ground. "Look how that turned out."

Theseus tried to reassure him. "It's not your fault. The only person we can blame is the manticore."

Perseus hummed his agreement. While he still blamed the Hunters, in the end it was the manticore's fault. "Did the monster tell you anything? Who he was working for?"

Theseus shrugged his shoulders. "He said something about a general. That Hunter with the tiara seemed pretty shaken up about it when I told her."

The general. Perseus had known a lot of generals in his lifetime, but something told him this guy wasn't Napoleon.

As the sun began to rise, Thalia Grace started making her way towards them. "We're heading to Camp. Artemis said she was calling some sort of transportation from her brother."

Perseus nodded and helped Theseus to his feet. Soon after, he felt armour and weapons cover his body once more.

Thalia started walking alongside them. "So you're the famous Percy that Annabeth always talks about?"

"The one and only."

Thalia seemed satisfied with the answer and stopped asking questions. Why couldn't Theseus be like that?

Perseus glared at the Hunters as he waited for Apollo to arrive. Although Perseus's helmet didn't allow for them to see his eyes, most Hunters avoided his gaze.

Next to him, he saw Theseus shivering. Perseus created a small fire in his hand and held it near him, immediately warming the demigod.

In all honesty, Perseus hadn't noticed it was cold. Helios's blessing always kept him warm at any temperature.

Finally, there was a spark of light at the edge of the horizon.

He heard Artemis issue some warning, but didn't care to listen - he'd been around the sun chariot enough already.

In front of them, a red Maserati appeared, melting any snow that had survived.

Apollo stepped out of the car, smiling.

"Wow. Apollo is hot."

"He's the sun god."

"That's not what I meant."

Perseus couldn't help but chuckle at the interaction between the two. His spirits were further raised as he saw Artemis becoming increasingly annoyed. Maybe Apollo was useful after all.

"Alright sis, transportation for the Hunters. You got it! I was about to get rolling anyway."

"Those demigods also need a ride." Artemis pointed at Theseus and Thalia. "They're some of Chiron's campers."

"No problem!" Apollo said cheerfully.

Seeing everything was set, Artemis flashed away, heading to gods knew where.

Apollo started checking them out. "Let's see, Thalia, right? I've heard all about you!"

"Hi, Lord Apollo."

Apollo turned to Theseus and studied him for a second. "Theseus Jackson."

Apollo studied Theseus for a while, not saying anything. Oddly enough, he didn't comment and turned to Percy.

Apollo looked at Perseus, not realizing who he was until he saw the sunspear. "You're that Spartan Uncle H told me about! I like the digs."

Apollo took a closer look at Percy and frowned. "That's weird."

That piqued Perseus's interest, but before he could ask, Apollo's normal, carefree attitude returned. "To Camp Half-Blood we go!"

"Apollo?" Perseus said.

"Hm?"

"Your car only has two seats."

"Oh."

Perseus rolled his eyes and snatched the keys out of Apollo's hand. He clicked a few buttons and the Maserati glowed before changing into a bus.

"Hey, how do you know how to do that?" Apollo asked.

Perseus sent a withering glare to the sun god. "Who do you think drives the damn thing when you and Helios are wasted?"

Apollo blinked a few times. "Well that would explain the knife marks…."

Perseus ignored him and moved to the driver's seat. "I'm leaving in three minutes, if you're not in, you can walk."

The Hunters got in first. Perseus made sure to continue glaring at them as they made their way to the back. Next were Theseus and Thalia, who were arguing about something Perseus didn't care to listen to.

One of the kids who Theseus was sent to rescue was next. Perseus stopped him and asked, "What's your name?"

"Nico."

Perseus motioned to the seat on his right. "Why don't you sit there? It's a long drive, and I could use the company."

It was not a long drive, and Perseus didn't need the company, he just didn't want the kid sitting alone. However, Nico didn't know that, and happily sat next to him.

Apollo was the last to get on and sat in a random seat, looking out the window as he listened to music.

Seeing everyone was on, he shut the bus doors and started driving. As he drove, he transformed his armour back into clothing - the helmet was nice, but not the easiest thing to see out of.

Nico saw his change of clothes and gasped. "Woah! How did you do that?"

Perseus winked at him. "Magic."

Percy patted his leg, checking to make sure Riptide was there. Along with his pen, he felt two cards.

Curious, he pulled the cards out and looked them over. They were holographic. One showed Helios walking out of the sun. The other was a picture of Selene sitting on the moon.

Seeing the cards, Nico let out another gasp. "You have the holographic Helios and Selene cards? Those are the rarest cards in the Titans and Monsters collection! Can I see them?"

"Oh, uh, sure?" Perseus said, confused.

Nico started gawking over the two pieces of paper. "These are so cool!"

He started listing off a bunch of numbers and statistics that Percy didn't understand. Perseus tried to look interested, but in reality, he was lost as soon as the kid started talking about attack power.

"— I'll trade you a Demeter figurine and holographic Zeus card for them."

"I'll tell you what kid," Percy said. "Since you were nice enough to sit next to me, you can have them for free."

Percy didn't think it was that big of a deal, but Nico looked like he just won the lottery. "Wow! Really? Thanks uh… Mister?"

Perseus chucked. "Call me Percy."

"Thanks, Percy! You're so cool. Nobody else has Mythomagic cards, they say it's a kids game."

"Don't mention it, kid."

Nico was relatively silent for the rest of the ride, choosing to play with his cards and figurines on his own. Occasionally, Perseus would turn and watch him play. He had no idea what was going on, but it looked interesting enough.

Unfortunately for Perseus's curiosity, they arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Perseus landed the sun chariot just inside the magical borders, and got out as soon as he parked - the less time he spent near those Hunters, the better.

Apollo followed him out. "Not bad driving, Spartan. I would've gone a little faster, but oh well, it looks like California is getting a late sunrise."

Perseus rolled his eyes and walked away, deliberately ignoring the sun god. He waited until Theseus caught up until he continued his way into camp.

Percy didn't get the chance to explore the last time he was here. At first glance, nothing looked too interesting, then, he saw it.

"Is that lava flowing down that wall?"

Apparently lava in a summer camp was a common occurrence, because Theseus didn't look too interested. "Yeah, it adds a little extra challenge."

"Come on." Theseus started walking to the cabins. "I'll give you a tour."

**_Camp Half-Blood, New York_**

Perseus was being stared at, and he was getting sick of it. Everywhere he went there was someone watching him, as if he was some kind of alien. There weren't a lot of people at the camp, but they were scattered at all different areas. Apparently they didn't get many newcomers here….

Other than that, his tour went fairly well. He saw the forges, cabins, arts and crafts area, the amphitheater, met the resident centaur, and threatened a wine god. All in all, it went better than Perseus had expected.

Although, there was one place Theseus didn't show him: the forest. According to Theseus, the forest was packed with monsters and they weren't allowed to go there. Perseus had merely shrugged his shoulders. He would have to do some exploring by himself.

Perseus's tour ended at the arena. Perseus took one look at the empty training ground and immediately knew what he was going to do. "Theseus, go grab your sword and shield."

Theseus unsheathed his sword and grabbed a random shield off the wall. Looking at Theseus, he could tell neither the blade nor shield were balanced.

"That's not going to do. We need to get you some new equipment."

He ignored any protests Theseus said and started searching through his backpack.

Eventually, he pulled out a small, silver square about the size of a napkin. Perseus tossed the square on the ground and watched it explode into a tent.

Theseus saw this and seemed perplexed. "Isn't that one of the —"

"Yes it is." Perseus cut him off. "I hate those Hunters, but I've got to give it to them: they have nice tents."

Perseus ushered him in and watched Theseus's jaw drop at the sight before him. Inside, there were enough weapons and armour to outfit a small army, all Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold.

Perseus walked past Theseus and towards the eastern wall. If there was one sword his half brother would be able to use, this would be the most obvious choice.

"Try this on for size."

Theseus took the xiphos and gave it a few practice swings. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "Too heavy. It feels like I'm swinging a meat cleaver."

Perseus frowned. He thought Theseus would've liked his namesake's sword. "Go and try some of the other swords, just don't touch the golden ones."

Theseus arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"They're… relics. They won't be able to kill monsters."

Theseus nodded and started inspecting the Celestial Bronze weapons. At the sight, Perseus couldn't help but feel relieved. The last thing he needed was Theseus questioning why there were Roman weapons in his armoury.

After an hour of searching, Theseus returned to Perseus with only a sword. At Perseus's questioning look, Theseus showed off a watch on his hand.

"I already have a shield," he explained. "It just needs some repairs."

Perseus nodded and looked at the weapon Theseus chose. "A Macedonian sword; good choice.

Perseus took the sword from his hand and got a feel for the weight. He grabbed another, slightly heavier, sword off the wall and handed it to Theseus. "You will be using this one to train."

"But this one isn't balanced."

"I know. That's the point," Perseus said. "If you practice with a heavier blade, your attacks will be more explosive when you use one that's balanced."

Theseus accepted the explanation and followed him outside. When both Percy and Theseus were out of the tent, the tent collapsed back into a square and returned to his backpack.

"Now." Percy uncapped Anaklusmos and got in a defensive stance. "Show me what you got."

_**Later...**_

Theseus collapsed to the ground, and Perseus couldn't help but laugh. He had been pushing the kid nonstop for hours, and while Theseus had made some progress, it wasn't enough.

Theseus was a gifted swordsman, one of the best he'd seen for his age, but talent is useless without skill. He wanted him to be prepared, not only for monsters, but also for the expectations.

He was a son of Poseidon, a child of the Big Three, a natural born leader; he must be able to live up to the name, or else he, and everyone below him, would crumble.

He saw Theseus was still trying to catch his breath and smirked. "Back in my day, we didn't get breaks."

Theseus ignored him, further fueling Perseus's laughter. However, with nothing to distract his mind, Perseus's smile soon disappeared.

Perseus planted the sunspear in the ground and started kicking the sand. He was trying to train Theseus against multiple weapon types - not every opponent he'd face would have a sword. Perhaps he should use a trident next time.

"You should be doing more exercises." Percy commented. "More cardio. More strength training. You need to improve your stamina."

"What a great idea." Theseus did not appear to think it was a great idea. "Maybe if I wear forty pounds of armour and march around camp I can do all three at once."

Perseus rubbed his chin. "No, that's a group exercise. You should be doing individual workouts."

Theseus rolled his eyes and got to his feet. Before Perseus could continue, a horn sounded, and Theseus started walking out the arena.

"Where do you think you're going?" Perseus asked.

"Dinner time." Theseus replied simply, as if Perseus should've known that. "Are you coming?"

Perseus shrugged his shoulders and followed. Until that Oracle gave him a prophecy, he would be staying here for the foreseeable future - might as well learn the ropes.

The Dining Pavilion seemed pretty standard to Perseus. There were torches placed atop marble columns, a large brazier in the middle, and twelve tables - one for each of the Olympians.

If Perseus was in charge, he would've scrapped the entire layout. There were a lot more than twelve gods on Olympus, and cramming everyone at the Hermes table didn't seem efficient.

The demigods didn't seem to mind. Everyone was milling about. Most were either talking to their siblings, or just getting seated. Perseus patted Theseus's shoulder and walked to the head councillor's table. If he sat alongside Theseus at Poseidon's table, it would bring unwanted attention from both the demigods and gods.

Chiron and Dionysus looked up from their card game. Dionysus rolled his eyes and continued rearranging his hand.

"Powerful aura…" Chiron muttered, still invested in his game. "I thought you were someone else."

Dionysus seemed to get an idea. "Do you know how to play pinochle?"

Perseus remembered something Theseus told him. "Of course I know how to play, any _civilized_ person should know the rules."

Dionysus slammed his can of Diet Coke into the table. "Finally! I had truly thought this generation had gone to waste."

During his dramatic celebration, Dionysus accidentally revealed his hand, something Chiron didn't fail to notice. Perseus sent a wink towards the centaur and waited for the round to finish.

"You should know, Dionysus." Perseus said. "I'm not from this generation."

"Humph. Could've fooled me. Back in the ancient times, people had more respect for the gods."

"I only respect those who have earned it."

He knew Dionysus to have a short temper, but it didn't matter to him. If the wine god wanted to fight, a thyrus would be a poor match against a sword.

"Believe me, I know." Dionysus complained. "Even now those Hunters are praying for me to kill you."

Dionysus tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think I will - Artemis still owes me from a few decades ago."

Perseus snorted, and Dionysus looked at him with a critical, bloodshot eye. "Are you sure you're not one of my followers?"

"I'm fearless, not insane."

Dionysus hummed. "Like many things, the line between fearless and insane is often blurred."

Perseus stayed quiet after that, thinking of Dionysus's words. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself agreeing. Perhaps Dionysus was smarter than he let on. Perseus made a note to keep an eye on the god.

He looked up and saw dryads carrying around plates of food, delivering them to the tables of demigods. A plate and goblet was brought to Perseus, the dryad winking at him as she walked away.

Perseus's plate was packed, holding a brisket, a plentiful amount of grapes, and strawberries. However, strangely enough, the goblet was empty.

Chiron saw his confusion. "The goblet is magical," he explained. "Speak any drink which you want and it will appear in the cup."

Perseus raised his eyebrows, skeptical, and asked for fresh water. Sure enough, the clear liquid swirled into his cup. He started eating, and got a strange look from Dionysus, who was still sipping from his seemingly bottomless can of Diet Coke.

"Sacrifices are a show of gratitude. The gods have done nothing for me to be grateful," Perseus said.

Thunder boomed above, and Dionysus choked on his soda, his eyes popping out of his head.

"Blah, blah, blah." Perseus mimicked talking with his hand and went back to eating. For anyone else, speaking to an immortal like that was certain death, but after thousands of years, you stop caring. Thunder boomed again, this one sounding more humorous - if thunder had humor.

Chiron set down his fork and stopped eating. "Tell me, Percy - I hope you don't mind me calling you that -, where did you learn to fight? I do not recall teaching you."

Perseus continued to eat his food, not responding until his plate was clean. He rolled up his sleeve, showcasing a multitude of scars. "I learned the hard way."

"I see…" Chiron said. "If you would pardon my curiosity once again, what period of Sparta were you born in?"

Perseus raised an eyebrow. "How much did Theseus tell you about me?"

"Just a few details," Chiron promised.

A harpy flew by and took Percy's plate and goblet. Perseus stood up from his seat and excused himself, heading to the cabins. Today had been exhausting on his mind, he needed rest.

He walked into cabin three, and was hit with the familiar smell of the sea.

As Perseus looked around the room, he realized that two beds have been recently used. Strange. He does not recall Poseidon having any other demigod children.

There was a loud _pop_, and an envelope appeared in his hands. Curious, Perseus inspected the letter before opening it.

The envelope was a deep blue, with waves moving across the paper. He ripped open the seal. The letter itself only held six words, all extravagantly written in cursive: _The sea never forgets its own._

Perseus set the letter down on a nightstand and plopped himself into a bed. Occasionally he would read the letter over again, wondering what it could mean for the future. Eventually, he dozed off, his mind still active. That was a problem for the future. His hands were already full.

**-0-**

Perseus woke in the middle of the night, dreams haunting his sleep. He wasn't entirely sure what they meant, but he couldn't keep sitting around doing nothing.

Don't get him wrong, Perseus had loved spending the day with Theseus. However, the guilt swelling inside him said differently.

Perseus walked to the fountain in the back of the cabin, careful not to wake Theseus. He fished a drachma out from his pocket and threw it into the rising steam.

"Fleecy, I'm calling in my favor. Show me Annabeth Chase."

The mist shimmered for a second but didn't show anything. A second later, an apologetic voice came through. "Sorry Percy, I can't find her. Something is blocking the connection."

After a moment of silence, Fleecy's voice returned. "Who is she?"

Perseus sighed, his heart heavy. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for trying."

He waved his hand through the mist and the connection severed.

Perseus walked out of the cabin and towards the forest. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight. He might as well make the most of it.

The forest itself wasn't anything to note, but there were a few things that stuck out to him. The giant imprints on the ground - which oddly reminded him of dragon feet - were one of them. However, the footprints became irrelevant once he heard the voices.

To anyone else, the whispers wouldn't have been audible, but he heard them, and he knew what they could mean. He picked up his pace, going deeper into the seemingly endless forest.

The trees around him grew taller. The whispers grew louder, so loud that Perseus was almost able to hear what they were saying.

The voices were coming from a giant anthill, likely home to myrmekes. Perseus walked in anyways.

He ignored the curious, giant ants watching him and walked through the tunnels. The myrmekes were territorial. As long as he didn't touch their treasure, they'd leave him alone.

The tunnel he was in ended in what Perseus assumed was the 'throne room' for the queen ant. The massive insect laying eggs on the other side of the room only verified his assumptions.

The queen ant let out a loud screech, and two myrmekes rushed into the room. The ants rushed towards him and Perseus's hand went to his pocket. However, the myrmekes ignored Perseus and started moving the egg nest against the wall.

The nest revealed another tunnel. Coming out the tunnel were seemingly hundreds of voices, all whispering at once.

The queen nodded at him and Perseus walked through. He made a quick mental note to thank whichever immortal was helping him.

Perseus emerged from the tunnel and saw a sight he didn't think he'd ever see again. The Grove of Dodona. Somehow it had survived and now resided in Camp Half-Blood, even after it was destroyed centuries ago.

"The power of Rhea…" Perseus murmured to himself.

Perseus walked up to the grove and the tree trunks parted. Until now, the grove had been strangely quiet. However, once he entered, all Hades broke loose.

He immediately dropped to his knees. It felt like every tree in the grove was screaming at him, drilling prophetic verses into his brain, shredding his sanity by the second. Perseus was only able to catch snippets of what they were saying.

_"The Titan's Curse—"_

_"Sail the iron ship—"_

_"Go west, and face the god who has turned—"_

_"Eternal night—"_

_"Go to Alaska—"_

_"Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"_

Suddenly, the voices stopped, and Perseus could slowly feel the ringing in his ears dying down. However, one tree in the center of the grove still spoke to him.

_"Come forth, Son of Poseidon, and ask."_

Perseus slowly got to his feet and stumbled through the rings of trees. He held his hand up to his head, trying to press down the pounding in his skull. Is this what a migraine felt like?

Perseus tried to remember what the Grove had told him. They were speaking prophecies. However, the more he thought about them, the fuzzier his memory became. He squeezed his eyes shut, both in frustration and pain. He wasn't even supposed to feel pain!

After what felt like millennia, he reached the tree speaking and placed a hand on the trunk. "Where can I find Annabeth Chase?"

The tree branches rustled. _"San Francisco."_

"San Francisco?" Perseus asked incredulously. "That's not a prophecy. That's not even an answer!"

The tree didn't respond.

Perseus kicked the tree and light traveled away. The sun had just risen, and every second wasted was another he could've used searching.

San Francisco is a big city. It could take days to narrow down where she could be, but there was someone who could help him.

_**San Francisco, California**_

Perseus scoured the city, going over every hiding spot the Old Man had. Naturally, Perseus would find him in the last spot he checked: under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Old Man was lounging on the rocks, bathing in the morning sunlight. Normally, this wouldn't have been an odd sight, but considering most of the sunlight was blocked by clouds, it definitely garnered some curiosity.

As he walked closer to Nereus, the vile stench he emitted became nearly suffocating. Perseus had to cover his nose with his shirt. The smell was so awful, Perseus wouldn't have been surprised if people had dropped dead because of it.

Nereus noticed him approaching and let out an overly exaggerated groan. "What do you want from me?"

"You already know what I want."

Nereus sighed and paused for a second. Perseus looked to the sky as he waited for his answer. When he looked back down, he saw that Nereus had paled considerably.

Nereus merely held a finger to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Perseus followed his gaze and saw a mountain in the distance.

"No."

Nereus grimly nodded, shaking loose a piece of seaweed from his hair.

He looked up to the mountain and light traveled once more, this time, to the base of Mount Tamalpais.

Immediately, Perseus was hit with the strong smell of eucalyptus trees - a smell he wasn't sure was better or worse than Nereus. Ahead of him, a thick fog settled on the mountain, hiding the Garden of the Hesperides from mortal view.

Perseus took a second to catch his breath before walking into the fog - into the Mist. As he walked, he readied himself for battle, transforming his clothes into armour and checking his weapons over.

The fog cleared and Perseus was met with one of the most beautiful sights in the mythological world. Flowers of nearly every color spanned out across the meadow before him. In the center, there was an impossibly large tree, ripe with golden apples, and a hundred headed dragon sleeping at it's base.

In front of him, four figures shimmered to existence, each as beautiful as the last. They all had white Greek chitons, carmel skin, and silky, black hair. Perseus didn't know if they did it on purpose, but their identical outfits and skin tone made it impossible for him to differentiate the Hesperides.

"Why have you returned here?" One of them said.

"I'm going up that mountain. You can't stop me."

Perseus noticed the way one of them had shuffled their feet. Another started wringing her hands. The other two were better at hiding it, but it was clear as daylight: they were nervous.

"Wake your dragon and watch what happens. It still bears the scars."

At least eleven of the dragon's necks still showed evidence of their fight from over a thousand years ago. Perseus didn't even know why the dragon had attacked him in the first place. He only wanted to explore the garden, not steal from the tree - immortality is overrated.

"Go up the mountain. You will be walking to your death." One of the sisters said.

"If something in this world is able to kill me," Perseus said as he walked past them. "I haven't found it yet."

Perseus made his way up the mountain, wary of any ambushes. Strangely enough, there were no monsters guarding the area. Even still, his hand rested on the hilt of Anaklusmos.

He reached the top of the mountain, and was met with a sight that did not bode well. It was ruins, ruins of Mount Othrys. Perseus picked up his pace. If Annabeth was in there, he was going to get her out.

Perseus reached the summit. A few feet ahead of him, grey clouds swirled in a heavy vortex. It almost reached the mountain top, but was held up by a fourteen-year-old girl with blonde princess curls.

"Annabeth?" Perseus sprinted to her side and cut loose her chains with his sword.

Behind Perseus, there was booming laughter. He whirled around and came face-to-face with who he assumed was Atlas - no one else could be that tall.

"Are you the one who put her here?" Perseus asked. He tried to remain calm, but the anger was evident in his voice.

Atlas didn't say anything, choosing to continue laughing. Perseus advanced on the Titan, Riptide in hand. Seeing this, Atlas wagged a finger.

"Now, now, Spartan." Atlas said. "Would you risk leaving my curse to little Annabeth any longer? She does not look to be in the best condition."

Perseus turned around and saw Annabeth's body trembling from the weight. Her knees were shaking. She was desperately taking in air.

"She is strong, but the burden is too much to bear for her little mortal form. She will die soon. Make your decision, Spartan. You do not have much time to spare."

He knew Atlas's game. He wasn't lying. Annabeth wouldn't be able to hold the sky for any longer. If she died, the sky would come crashing into the ground, obliterating everything. Atlas needed someone else to hold it.

Perseus spared a glance at Annabeth, and his mind was already made. He sheathed Anaklusmos and set his helmet at his feet.

Perseus heard Atlas laugh and say something, but he stopped listening a long time ago. He dropped down to a knee and shifted the weight off Annabeth's shoulders and on to his own.

The effects were instantaneous. Every muscle in his body burned. His shoulders were screaming in protest. It felt like he was carrying a whole skyscraper.

Perseus gritted his teeth and continued shifting the weight off Annabeth and onto himself. The sky was now firmly planted on his shoulders, and the weight intensified more - if that was even possible. Instead of a skyscraper, he felt like he was carrying all of New York.

At his feet, Annabeth collapsed to the ground and passed out, her body taking in deep, shaky breaths. Seeing she was safe gave him a brief period of respite.

Through strained ears, Perseus was able to hear conversation around him.

"Bind the girl and throw her in one of the dungeons. That demigod has use for her."

"And what of the Spartan? Shall I disarm him?"

"No. We don't know what magical wards he may have - it's too risky while he's bearing the sky."

The man started laughing. "It's not like he's getting out of there anyways. There's not a single being in this world that would take the weight for him."

**_Many days later_**

The sound of metal rang out all around him. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. Perseus heard shouting, or what he thought was shouting. A lot of people were talking, but it all sounded distant.

There was a loud laugh. More fighting. Metal on metal. Even more laughter, this one more manicial. Was he at a comedy club? There was a shout of pain, and another cry from somewhere else.

Perseus felt someone land next to him, and he pried his eyes open. At the sight, Perseus nearly dropped the sky in shock. Next to him, on his knees, was Theseus Jackson.

"Give me the sky!"

"No," Perseus croaked out. He didn't even have the energy to question how Theseus had gotten there. Just saying that one word multiplied the pressure by tenfold, making Perseus feel like a few hundred pounds were added on top of him. "It's… too heavy… you'll die."

"I'll die anyways! I can't fight Atlas."

Theseus started shifting the weight off Perseus's shoulders and onto his own. The relief he felt was immediate. In the most literal sense, it felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders.

Perseus slowly got to his knees, one leg at a time and put on his helmet. He summoned the water from a nearby pool and splashed it onto him, giving himself a burst of energy.

He looked up to find Atlas locked in combat with his daughter, Zoë Nightshade.

He unsheathed Anaklusmos. "Atlas!"

Atlas sent a backhand at Nightshade, sending her flying into the wall. "So, the Spartan has decided to join the fight."

Perseus growled and swung Riptide with everything he had. Atlas caught the blade on the shaft of his javelin, and the two of them were caught in a deadlock. Perseus continued pressing down his blade, and Atlas continued to hold his ground.

Atlas laughed, as if he were enjoying the fight, and Perseus laughed with him.

With a shout, Perseus raised his foot and slammed it down into the side of the Titan's knee, bringing out a sickening crunch. Atlas bellowed in pain. Perseus pressed the advantage, sending a flurry of attacks at the Titan.

Even though he'd only been fighting for a few minutes, Perseus could feel himself fatiguing, the effects of the water already running thin. His body was still mortal, and it was strained. Atlas was a Titan, the Titan of endurance. He needed to end the fight, now more than ever.

As Perseus fought, he started to rotate around the room, slowly moving until he got into the position he wanted. Perseus took his attention off the Titan for a split second, and Atlas used this to his advantage.

Moving faster than anything his size should be capable of, Atlas reached out and sent a punch to Perseus's stomach. Perseus felt his armour dent and multiple bones crack.

Luckily, Atlas tripped and further stretched out his displaced knee, bringing about another howl of pain.

He started favoring the side of Atlas's weakened knee. Slowly, Perseus backed his way to where Theseus was holding the sky, giving the Titan a false sense of bravado.

Atlas lunged at Perseus with his spear, forgetting about his injured knee. Perseus slipped under the larger Titan's guard and slammed into him from behind, putting everything he had in the shove. Atlas was sent tumbling forward, right where Theseus was waiting.

"Theseus, let go!"

Thankfully, Theseus was still able to hear him, and loosened his grip. Atlas, unable to stop his momentum, barreled right into him, and the weight of the sky fell right back onto his shoulders.

_"Nooooo!_" Atlas shouted so loudly that it shook the entire mountain. "_Not again!_"

Satisfied with his work, Perseus fell to the ground, putting both hands on his spine. His breath was ragged, and his body felt like mush.

"Two thousand years and no back problems…" he mourned.

Perseus stayed there for a while, his body aching. He heard more sounds of fighting, but it all blended in with the blood rushing to his head. He was in no shape to lift a sword, much less fight.

After a moment of rest, Perseus was able to raise his head. Artemis was kneeling next to the body of Zoë Nightshade. Zoë was lying on the ground, speaking to her mistress. When did Artemis get there? Matter of fact, why were any of them there?

Perseus threw his questions to the side as he realized what happened. Through shaky steps, he stumbled his way to Zoë. He took off his helmet and all conversations went silent.

They may not have known it, or even accepted it, but Zoë's fate had already been decided - Helios's sight showed him as much. Looking at Zoë, he could see that she knew it as well.

Perseus placed Anaklusmos in her hands. "A warrior should never go down without their blade."

Zoë took the sword, but quickly handed it back to him, shaking her head. "Hestia chose you to wield the blade. From what thy brother told me, you are more than worthy of having it. You aren't like _him_. You aren't… Hercules."

Perseus sheathed the sword. "I look forward to telling you my tale the next time we meet."

Zoë got a faraway look in her eyes. "I always wondered what you were doing in Persia."

Perseus gave a weak laugh. "A tale for another time."

Zoë chuckled lightly. "Yes… another time."

"Truce?" Perseus asked.

"Truce," she agreed.

Perseus shook her hand and backed away, giving Artemis a few moments alone with her Huntress. He sat down and looked up at the stars, trying to neglect his hearing and give them some type of privacy.

From down the hill, monsters roared for their blood. Perseus got to his feet and held Anaklusmos in front of him, ready to go down fighting.

As the first monster reached the crest of the hill, a buzzing sound pierced the air. The sudden noise caused Perseus to lower his guard and search for the source.

What the hell was that? What Perseus thought was a bird quickly revealed itself to be a plane, outfitted with machine guns. The plane made a strafing run over the army of monsters, letting loose hundreds of bullets into the masses.

The monsters started to panic and scatter, and Perseus used this as an opportunity to do some real damage. He pulled the sunspear off his back and channeled what little energy he had left into the weapon.

He slammed the spear into the ground, cracking the rock beneath him. A shockwave of silver energy flew off his body, slamming into the monster army, disintegrating many on impact.

Artemis shouted at them. "Get in!"

Perseus's vision spun wildly. He tried to follow the sound of her voice, but found himself nearly collapsing. His body was taxed. He wouldn't make it. From each side, Perseus felt himself being propped up. He was being helped into a chariot.

"It looks like Santa's sleigh…" Theseus muttered.

Perseus landed on a seat and nearly passed out from exhaustion. He opened his eyes and saw the concerned faces of Theseus and Annabeth. He shut his eyes and let out a content sigh: they were safe. With that, Perseus stopped struggling and slipped into unconsciousness.

_**Crissy Field - Theseus**_

A somber mood hung over the group. They should be celebrating. They had just rescued Annabeth and completed a quest, but it felt more like a loss than a victory.

Too many people were lost on the quest. First Bianca, and now Zoë. To make matters worse, Percy was still unresponsive. The only sign of life his older brother showed was the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Theseus still wasn't sure if everything that had happened was real. It all felt like a bad dream. But the grey strands of hair he and Annabeth shared was a reminder that it wasn't. This was reality.

Reality was harsh, Theseus decided.

Theseus heard the whoosh of large wings. He looked up, and saw three pegasi descending through the fog. Two were white winged horses from camp, and the third was his good friend Blackjack.

"_Yo, Boss,_" Blackjack called after him. "_You managed to stay alive without me?_"

"It was rough," Theseus admitted.

"_I brought Guido and Porkpie with me,_" Blackjack said as he landed next to him.

"_What's up._"

"_Yo._"

Blackjack finally seemed to notice Percy lying on the ground.

"_Whoa._" He started sniffing him. "_He smells like you, Boss. Did you give him your cologne?_"

"No, Blackjack." Theseus let out a sigh. "He's my older brother."

"_Whaaa? No way! I thought the fish dude only had you._" Blackjack started galloping around excitedly. "_I'm going to call him Big Boss._"

During Blackjack's little dance, he stopped paying attention to where he was walking. Before Theseus could stop him, he pranced right onto Percy's armour-covered stomach.

Blackjack tried to step away, but the damage was already done. Percy shot to his feet, his gold and silver spear already in hand, ready to kill.

Theseus grabbed the shaft of the weapon and tried to keep Percy from skewering his pegasus.

"_Boss,_" Blackjack said, taking cover behind Theseus. "_Big Boss has a sharp stick._"

Percy lowered his weapon. "Did that thing just call me 'Big Boss?'"

After some explanations and peace negotiations, Theseus was able to get Percy to not turn his horse into a shish-kebab. While Theseus was talking, Percy had become obviously tired and leaned on his spear to support himself.

Theseus realized they needed to go to Olympus, but he didn't want to leave Percy alone in his current condition. He looked at Annabeth, and he could tell she didn't either. Percy saw this and immediately tried to wave them off.

"Don't worry about me, go finish your quest." He started nudging them with his spear, pushing them towards their pegasi.

Annabeth gave Percy a hug before she mounted her pegasus, and Theseus did the same; Thalia settled on a fist bump - something Percy wasn't familiar with.

"I always forget that you're an old dude," Thalia said, disappointed.

Percy pretended to be affronted. "How dare you! I'll have you know, I am two thousand, five hundred, and nine years _young_."

Thalia and Percy laughed together, and Theseus couldn't help but think that the world just got a lot more dangerous.

They got on their pegasi and flew away, heading straight for New York. Soon, the city of San Francisco was only a speck of light behind them.

_**Olympus, Manhattan**_

Flying was bad enough for a son of Poseidon, but flying straight up to Zeus's palace was about as dumb of an idea as you can get. Thunder and lightning flashed across the early-morning sky, doing nothing to help Theseus's nerves.

Olympus itself was as beautiful as ever. Torches blazed all around, illuminating the city of the gods as the sun came up.

Oddly enough, Olympus reminded him of New York. People were always bustling about - even at the crack of dawn; chariots were hurrying between the marble buildings, gods and goddesses whisked about, and a few vendors were trying to sell their products.

At the peak of the mountain was the grandest palace of all -the white hall of the gods.

The pegasi dropped them off at the doors to the throne room. Looking at the giant double doors, Theseus couldn't keep down a feeling of dread. Who knows how many times they'd debated his life in these halls.

Blackjack wished them luck and set off to do whatever pegasi do in their free time.

Without warning, the doors to the throne room swung open, revealing the council of the gods.

To say Theseus was nervous would've been the understatement of the century. Half of them probably wanted him dead, and the other half likely didn't know what to think of him. The fact that they were all staring at him didn't help.

Theseus kneeled at his father's throne and waited for the council to commence.

After a seemingly endless amount of formalities, arguments, threats, and congratulations, the council decided to let Theseus, Thalia, and the ophiotaurus live - something that surprised Theseus to no end.

"Now!" Zeus thundered. "On to other matters."

The council all nodded their heads, as if this was something they've been expecting. Theseus, however, had no clue as to what was going on.

"The Spartan, who some know as Percy, has surfaced once again. After his efforts on Mount Othrys, he will be weak and vulnerable, we must decide what we will do." Zeus said.

"Why not just kill him?" Ares asked. "You said it yourself, the punk is weak, we should end it."

"What we should do," Athena intruded. "Is be cautious. He's already beaten one Olympian -quite easily I might add- and at least one Titan. Even weakened, he won't go down without a fight."

Theseus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Percy helped them - saved them -, and they were thinking of killing him. He was ready to stand up and defend his brother, but a calm look from Poseidon held him down.

"I would advise against an attack on the demigod," Athena continued. "If he were to survive, he, and any allies he may have, would be moved to the Titan's side. He has no motive - as far as we know - to fight on either side of the war. It's best we do not give him one."

"What do you suggest?" Zeus asked.

"To leave him alone. Observe. Learn. We do not want to be fighting a war on multiple fronts. He has been helping us thus far. It is best we take that help with gratitude - we all know what he is capable of."

The more Athena talked, the more he wanted to go find Percy. There were so many things he wanted to know.

"All in favor?" Zeus asked.

Eight hands were raised, and the vote was decided. All of the gods except Hera, Ares, Aphrodite, and Dionysus voted.

Theseus was surprised Artemis voted in Percy's favor. From what he's heard and seen, the two have some bad blood. Theseus decided to keep his mouth shut, if she changed her mind again, it won't be for the better.

"We have a majority," Zeus decreed. "And since we will not be destroying these heroes, we should be honoring them. Let the triumph celebrations begin!"

**-0-**

There were your regular parties, your huge, blowout, multi-millionaire parties, and then there were Olympian parties. If Theseus ever got the choice, he'd choose the Olympian parties.

The Nine Muses cranked up the tunes, ambrosia and nectar spewed from golden fountains, and mortal snacks crowded banquet tables. Golden goblets were filled with whatever drink you wanted.

Theseus walked around, talking to various gods and goddesses - including his father. Most wanted to congratulate him on completing the quest. However, he knew his good luck had run dry when Athena approached him.

The wisdom goddess began chewing him out, pointing out everything wrong with him from his fatal flaw to his clothes.

"— I do not approve of your friendship with my daughter. I do not think it is wise. Should your loyalties ever waver I will…"

Athena trailed off as a cold presence descended upon them. Athena stared up to the sky, looking to be in a deep conversation. Finally, she lowered her head and turned back to him.

"I will leave you... for now."

She turned and walked through the crowds, which parted for her as if she were carrying Aegis. Theseus didn't blame them. When she passed, everything returned to normal.

Theseus turned to his right and saw a man sitting on a bench, relaxing without a care in the world. While his eyes were covered by a pair of aviator glasses, Theseus could recognize him anywhere.

"What are you doing up here?"

Percy looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Enjoying the party. What else would I be doing?"

Theseus noticed the way Percy struggled to turn his body. If he had to guess, Percy had injured his ribs, badly, but he didn't seem too bothered by it. Theseus supposed that after thousands of years of fighting you'd gain a high pain tolerance.

"I think the better question is: why are you still here?" Percy asked.

"What—"

Percy took off his glasses, freezing Theseus mid sentence. The shaded glass revealed two different colored irises: one gold, one silver - both equally frightening. The gold burned like an inferno, ready to ignite the world and everything in it. The silver looked glassed over - frozen -, as if it harbored the ability to bring about the next ice age. Theseus realized why the Council was so hesitant when discussing Percy.

"As long as I'm alive, no Olympian would dare to lay a finger on you - remember that." Percy put his shades back on. "You should get ready, you don't want to keep a friend waiting."

He was about to question what he meant when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Theseus!"

Theseus turned around and saw Annabeth running over.

"I saw my mom talking to you. Was she giving you a hard time?"

When he looked back to Percy, his brother was nowhere to be found.

"Uh, no." He said. "It's fine."

Annabeth studied him with concern. She touched the new grey streak in his hair that matched hers exactly. Theseus wanted to say a lot to her, but Athena had taken out most of the confidence in him.

"So," Annabeth said. "What did you want to tell me?"

Music played all around them. People were dancing in the streets. It was about time he joined the party.

"I, uh, was thinking we got interrupted at Westover Hall. And… I think I owe you a dance," Theseus said.

Annabeth smiled slowly. "All right, Seaweed Brain."

Theseus took her hand, and danced to the music he was hearing. He didn't know what everyone else heard, but to him it sounded like a slow dance: a little sad, but maybe a little hopeful, too.

**There you have it, chapter eleven. If you can't tell, I'm still alive! Obviously this one came out late, but look at the word count - it's not easy writing nine-thousand words. ****Most future chapters will be like this, with longer word counts and longer wait times. You can either like it or leave, I'm not sacrificing quality for quantity.**

**See ya in the next chapter **

**Love, Your Author **


	12. XII

**The Labyrinth**

Theseus ran through the halls of the endless maze, guided by a mechanical spider and Tyson and Grover's hearing. If it weren't for those two, they never would've been able to keep up with the small automaton.

Out of all the robots the forge god could've chosen, it had to be a tiny, barely visible spider, Theseus complained. Something told him that Hephaestus did that on purpose - it was well known he didn't like to be bothered.

As he ran, Theseus nearly slipped on something, but didn't get to see what it was before he broke out into a sprint once more.

The labyrinth was littered with everything from school supplies to prison uniforms - the most widespread objects included broken pencils, skeletons and milk bottles. How any of these things got there would forever be a mystery to Theseus.

The faint scuttling of the spider's feet was soon replaced by a long _ping_. Tyson made a few turns and tried to find the source. They rounded a corner and found the spider banging its little head into a metal door.

The door looked like an old submarine hatch, with little metal rivets around the edges, and a wheel for a doorknob. The Greek Êta was etched into the middle - the brand of Hephaestus. Theseus took an unintentional gulp.

"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover asked nervously.

"No," Theseus admitted.

"Yes!" Tyson exclaimed.

As Theseus opened the door, Tyson began bouncing on the balls of his feet. It wasn't long until the cyclops took the wheel from him and opened it himself.

The spider scuttled in and Tyson was right behind it. Theseus, Annabeth, and Grover followed, albeit a little less excited.

The room was enormous. It reminded Theseus of a mechanic's garage. Bronze contraptions were scattered throughout. Wires hung loosely from the ceiling. Metal animals and automatons wandered aimlessly.

Dozens of work tables were spread throughout the area, each holding a cluster of small parts and gizmos. They could've been assembled pieces, but there was no way of telling.

Two people were in the room.

One was under a hydraulic lift, working tirelessly on a 98' Toyota Corolla. His legs stuck out from the bottom of the car, one of which was in a metal brace. If this was a mechanic's garage, this was the mechanic.

The other was hammering away at an anvil, back to them. Theseus thought he looked familiar, but couldn't tell from that far away.

Occasionally the man would pick up the metal with his bare hands and put it back in the forge, reheating the material he was working with.

"OSHA would have a field day with this..." Annabeth mumbled under her breath.

The spider scuttled to the car and the mechanic stopped working.

"Well, well," a deep voice boomed from under the Corolla. "What have we here?"

The man pushed out from under the car on a back trolley and sat up. Theseus had seen Hephaestus once briefly on Olympus, but hadn't been paying much attention to him at the time.

Hephaestus wore a jumpsuit covered in oil and grime. His body was misshapen. His leg creaked in its brace, and his left shoulder was lower than his right, making it seem he was always leaning. A permanent scowl was etched onto the god's face and fires would spontaneously erupt in his beard. All in all, he wasn't the greatest looking guy in the world.

Hephaestus picked up the spider and handled it with amazing skill, breaking it down and reassembling it faster than Theseus's brain could process.

"There," he muttered to himself. "Much better."

The spider did a flip in his palm and shot away.

Hephaestus looked at them with a critical eye. "I didn't make you, did I?"

Theseus looked at Annabeth, eyebrows furrowed. She shrugged in response. Great. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Uh," Annabeth said. "No, sir."

"Good," the god grumbled. "Shoddy workmanship."

Hephaestus studied Theseus and Annabeth. "Demigods," he grunted. "What are you doing in my workshop?"

Theseus introduced himself, followed by Annabeth, Grover and Tyson. Hephaestus seemed to be pleased that there was a cyclops, but it was hard to tell - the only emotion he'd shown so far was grumpy.

"Sir," Annabeth said hesitantly. "We're looking for Daedalus. We thought —"

"_Daedalus_?" Hephaestus roared. "You dare to seek out that _scoundrel_?"

The god's eyes burned like hot coals. His entire beard burst into flames. Hephaestus looked ready to explode any second.

Theseus always figured he'd go out like this - misspeaking to a god. It was nice to know he was right.

"Calm down you old geezer, your beard is going to singe." The other man, who Theseus now realized was Percy, took Hephaestus's attention away from them.

Theseus let go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Even with all of the prevailing thoughts of an early death in his mind, Theseus couldn't help but wonder what Percy was doing here.

Percy locked eyes with Hephaestus, and a silent conversation passed between the two. Theseus thought it to be the most intense staring contest in history. Eventually, Hephaestus resigned and looked back to Theseus.

"You're wasting your time." Hephaestus frowned and limped over to one of his work tables. He grabbed a fistful of parts and started tinkering.

Theseus turned back to Percy, but his brother held a finger to his lips. Before Theseus could ignore the order, Percy walked off, meeting Hephaestus at his table.

Theseus turned to Annabeth, only to get an exasperated expression in response.

"Quit asking me, I don't know everything," she complained.

"You act like it…" Theseus mumbled.

If the dangerous glint in her eyes wasn't good enough, the knife in her hands was more than enough evidence that she heard him. Fortunately, Annabeth's anger was interrupted by a tsking sound.

"Twice in the same hour," Percy said with feigned disappointment. "You have to do better than that Theseus."

Percy turned to Hephaestus, a small smile now adorning his face, and began whispering in the god's ear.

Hephaestus slowly started nodding as Percy spoke, seeming to agree more and more with his brother with each word spoken.

Hephaestus turned to face them, a new obsidian bird sitting on the table. The bird's ruby eyes glowed to life and it began to fly around the room.

"All right half-bloods, I'll tell you the information you need, but I need a favor first - you don't forge a sword 'fer someone without receiving payment."

"Name it," Annabeth said.

Hephaestus laughed. "Heroes," he said. "Always making rash promises. How refreshing."

He pressed a button on his workbench and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was either a really large window or a big-screen TV, Theseus couldn't tell which. They were looking at a volcano, with smoke rising out of the top.

"Mount St. Helens - one of my forges," Hephaestus said. "I have many, but this was my favorite."

"Was?" Annabeth said.

"Aye, lass. Lately, I have sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone, or something, is using my forge. When I go to investigate, it's empty, but I can tell it was being used. They sense me coming and disappear. When I send my automatons, they do not come back. Something is there. Something evil." Hephaestus slammed a fist on his table. "I want to know who dares to invade my territory."

"You want us to find out who it is?" Theseus asked. There was always a catch to what gods want - they're never that straightforward.

"Aye. Return to me with my information, and I'll give you yours."

"Deal," Theseus said. That was probably the easiest request he's ever gotten from a god. There was no way he was going to pass it up.

"How will we get there?" Annabeth asked.

Hephaestus clapped his hands and the mechanical spider jumped down from the ceiling, landing in his palms. "Take the labyrinth. My creation will guide you there."

"Everyone is in agreement?" Percy asked.

Theseus looked around and nodded. Hephaestus let out a grunt. Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. Grover nervously chewed on a piece of scrap metal. Tyson gave Percy two giant thumbs-up.

"Good. I'm coming with." Percy pulled a pen out of his pocket and started twirling it between his fingers. "Keep my work safe for me, yeah?"

"After what you did for me, I could at least repay the favor." Hephaestus gave Percy a firm handshake and bade him farewell.

Percy turned back to them, a smile on his face. "Who's ready to explore a volcano?"

**-Perseus-**

Perseus was having a grand time exploring the labyrinth - although, he couldn't say the same for his companions.

Theseus's eyes were always darting back and forth, scanning the empty area ahead of them. Annabeth was more focused on the mechanical spider in front of them, trying to decide the best way to stay close and keep her distance at the same time.

Perseus, however, was more fixated on the area around them, fascinated with the complexity and endless possibilities of the labyrinth. The idea that some of these walls could be as old as him and as young as Theseus was mind-boggling.

The labyrinth truly was a wonder of the mythological world. A magical, living maze, having expanded across the globe, spanning from the island of Crete to America - it was unheard of.

Putting his child-like excitement behind, Perseus made sure to watch his step. The Mist was so potent there it was as if Hecate herself had brought it. He tried to manipulate it, but it proved too powerful for him - magic had never been his specialty.

The cyclops and satyr had gone a different path than them: a path to the lost god Pan. Perseus had welcomed the idea with open arms - the world could use Pan's presence. Annabeth, however, didn't like the idea of splitting up, but he and Theseus reassured her that they would be fine.

Speaking of Theseus and Annabeth… Perseus had noticed a strange tension between the two. They were less talkative, standing on opposite sides of the hallway. _Something_ had gotten between them, that much was obvious. What that something was, was less obvious.

He put the thought to the side. It probably was nothing anyways. Probably.

He slipped behind the duo and took a good look at the both of them. Theseus had grown since last year. Good. The extra length would help him in a fight - hopefully he had been training like he promised.

Annabeth hadn't changed much. She looked more mature than before, but that was about it. She could've grown, but it was hard to tell with her shoes.

They both still shared the identical gray streak of hair. Perseus wondered if those streaks would ever go away. He hoped they didn't - they fit them nicely.

"Hey, Perce?" Theseus tore Perseus's head away from the clouds. "What's immortality like?"

"What?" Perseus had to do a double take, trying to realize that it was Theseus that had asked him, and not Annabeth.

"What's it like? Everyone wants to be immortal." Theseus shrugged. "I mean, I know you're not _immortal_, but you're pretty close."

Percy stifled a laugh. A distant look appeared in his eyes as if he were a thousand years away. "It's the greatest gift I've ever received.

"I've witnessed empires rise and fall," he continued. "Revolutions. Humanity rebuilding itself over and over again. The world changing with each era ushered in. Every nook and cranny of this beautiful Earth."

The smile that had made its way to his face disappeared as fast as it came. "But it's also the cruelest curse one could attain."

"While you live your life, immortal and carefree, everyone you love withers and dies." Perseus clenched his jaw. "You move on, you try to love again, but they all die in the end."

His fist clenched around the pen in his pocket. "Wars and disease filled every age, claiming countless lives. The world around you changes, but the people don't: the people stay corrupt, they stay greedy, they stay impoverished, they stay suffering."

Perseus shook his head and sighed. "Pray you don't experience life as I have."

Theseus turned back around, suddenly very interested in the spider they were following.

Perseus realized he might have told them too much - they were still considered children in today's society. He shrugged it off - what he said would kill any conversation.

Thankfully, the temperature began to increase drastically as they walked.

"We're close," Perseus said.

The stone walls began to glow. The tunnel sloped down, leading to a loud roaring sound that nearly forced Perseus to cover his ears.

Times like these were the reason Perseus cursed his sharp hearing. It was as if a river of metal was flowing down there.

After walking for another half mile, they emerged out of the tunnel and into a giant cavern. The spider they were following stopped and curled into a ball. Perseus picked up the small automaton and placed it in his pocket.

"This does not look safe," Theseus said blatantly, looking down at the lava bubbling below.

"It looks fine to me," Annabeth said. "Why don't you go down there and check?"

Perseus got on a knee and took a better look at the area before them. There was no floor, only boiling magma hundreds of feet below them. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges and platforms made up the entire inside of the volcano. At the center was a huge platform with a multitude of machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil Perseus had ever seen.

Perseus noticed some movement on one of the platforms. "Monsters. We won't be able to get close enough to see what they're doing without exposing ourselves."

Annabeth pulled a baseball cap out of her back pocket. "I can. Be right back!"

Before he could even protest, Annabeth disappeared.

Perseus didn't try to call after her, in fear of alerting the monsters, but he didn't like the idea of Annabeth exploring the volcano by herself.

"Wait here," he told Theseus. "I won't be long."

He lowered himself below the ridge and started climbing around. It would've been much easier to walk along the ridge and fight the monsters head-on, but with Annabeth wandering around, he didn't want her to be caught in the crossfire.

Henceforth, he was stuck there, climbing along the rocks, cursing every time his foot slipped.

One day, these kids were going to get him killed...

_It could be worse_, he thought to himself. He could still be in Hephaestus's workshop, listening to the god's sob stories as he tried to work.

_Yes_, he decided. _Life could definitely be worse_.

Perseus found himself below a metal bridge. Slowly, he climbed out from under and took cover behind a box.

Thirty feet ahead of him, down a tunnel leading away from the volcano, a group of telkhines sat, all watching an… orientation? Two more monsters emerged, pushing a cart forward.

Perseus made his way into the small cavern, hugging the shadows along the wall, careful not to make any noise.

Making no sudden movements, he took Anaklusmos out of his pocket and started to form a plan.

Right as Perseus was about to make his move, Theseus jumped out of the cart and slashed a row of telkhines to dust.

That was _definitely_ not part of the plan. Didn't he tell Theseus to stay put?

Theseus, seeing he was vastly outnumbered, ran away, leaving the small cave. Perseus chased after him, cutting down monsters as he ran.

Perseus locked the door to the orientation room behind them and followed Theseus down to a platform at the center of the volcano. He tried calling after him, but his brother either couldn't hear him or didn't care to stop. Either way, it was annoying.

Theseus started yelling out Perseus' and Annabeth's names, apparently trying to regroup with them. Perseus was about to scold him for exposing their location, but stopped when he heard the faint sound of running across the platform.

Under normal circumstances, he would've stopped what was about to happen. However, like he had said, Theseus had irritated him.

He watched as Theseus was slammed into by an invisible force, his shouting being abruptly cut off as he was tackled to the ground.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Annabeth hissed as her hat fell off.

"It's not my fault you went off with your invisibility hat," Theseus retorted.

Perseus decided now was probably the best time to intervene. "Cut it out, you two. We need to leave."

They quickly shared what they saw, comparing notes on what could possibly be going on. Perseus peered over the platform railing, listening in on a conversation between two telkhines below them. Even further below, he saw four more sea demons working at an anvil.

"They're forging Kronos's scythe," Perseus realized.

Annabeth's eyes shot comically open. Theseus, however, seemed borderline calm.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is that?" Theseus asked, noticing the panicked expression on their faces.

"Fourteen," Annabeth said.

Perseus couldn't help but smirk at Theseus's now horror-struck face. One day, he was going to educate his brother on the Greek World.

"You two go ahead, I'll destroy the weapon and meet up with you later."

Perseus took the metal spider out of his pocket and placed it in Annabeth's palm, who did not look happy about carrying the small automaton. "The spider will lead you back to Hephaestus. Tell him what's going on here."

Before they could argue, the door Perseus had locked busted open, and telkhines swarmed the platform.

"Go!" Perseus shoved them forward, and for once, they actually listened.

Perseus would never openly admit this, but he had no plan whatsoever - there were too many to fight head on, and he didn't want to bring their attention to Theseus and Annabeth. Seeing that the hordes of telkhines were closing in, he did the only sensible thing: he ran back over to the railing and jumped.

Jumping through the air, hundreds of feet above a pit of lava, makes one question every decision they had made up to that point. However, Perseus didn't have a lot of time to question anything before he hit the ground, forced to run from the legions of sea demons chasing after him.

His feet pounded across the metal ground, each step echoing in the empty volcano. A thin layer of sweat began to coat his forehead. Each breath became more ragged as the sulfuric air filled his lungs. His mind was working as fast as his legs, trying to think of something to get him out of this scenario. Perseus took a glance behind him and saw the telkhines chasing after him. He picked up his pace.

He sprinted across another bridge, searching for Kronos's scythe, only to find more telkhines blocking his path. He tried to turn around, but the group of monsters behind him were already closing in.

Seeing no other option, he jumped - again - praying Tyche would let him survive the day.

Landing in a roll, Perseus found himself on a platform with four elder telkhines. His entrance had startled the monsters so much that they dropped a red hot blade: Kronos's scythe.

This wasn't how he expected to find the weapon, but it was a glad break from running. Maybe luck was on his side.

The tallest telkhine snarled. "What have we here? A Son of Poseidon?"

Yes," another growled. "His blood reeks of the sea."

The four sea demons quickly covered the exits, not allowing an escape. Perhaps luck wasn't on his side.

Perseus held Anaklusmos out in front of him, slowly turning, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"Attack one of us, and the rest will cut you down, demigod." One telkhine warned.

As if to prove a point, a shard of Celestial Bronze landed in his shoulder, sending Perseus stumbling forward - just barely out of range of an elder telkhines' claws. He looked up and saw more sea demons lining the bridge he had just jumped off, each holding pieces of scrap metal in their hand.

The elder telkhines darted in and out, poking at Perseus from every angle, forcing him on the defensive.

As Perseus was focused on the monsters in front of him, more and more pieces of metal found themselves embedded in his back. It was only a matter of time before one of them hit something vital.

He could hear barks of laughter above him. The monsters thought this was a game. They were toying with him. Still, he continued fighting. Eventually they would slip up.

He danced between the claws of a monster, and sliced Riptide in a wild upwards arc, hoping to cleave the telkhine in half. The sea demon jumped out of range, and its brethren raked its claws across Perseus's back.

The elder sea demons held their position, relishing the feeling of blood. Many of them were sniffing the air, savoring every scent. Perseus took this as an opportunity to catch his breath. Even still, his guard never dropped.

His t-shirt was in tatters, blood spilled from a hundred wounds, his energy was waning, but he refused to die. Not here. Not now.

The laughter returned above him, taunting Perseus, daring him to do something.

He could practically feel his powers calling to him, telling him to unleash the wrath of the Seven Seas, to rain godly fire upon his enemies, to slaughter each and every one of these monsters without mercy or remorse; to live up to his name. He gladly answered.

What happened next was indescribable. There was an explosion, a tidal wave of raw power. Winds as strong as a thousand hurricanes, all circling around him. The world itself felt like it was being shaken down to its core.

Rocks and debris came crashing down from every direction, nearly destroying the platform he stood on, but he didn't stop.

He saw the sunspear lying on the ground. How it got there, he didn't know, but he knew what to do with it.

Perseus grabbed the godly weapon and poured every ounce of strength, anger, and desperation he had into it. He could feel cracks spreading across the shaft of the spear, but he still persisted: nothing would escape this volcano alive.

He slammed the weapon into the ground, releasing shock waves of divine power, destroying everything around him.

Lava began erupting all around him. Bridges and equipment came crashing down, many narrowly missing where he stood. It was a miracle the platform he was on had survived as long as it did.

With a final burst of godly energy, the sunspear shattered in his hands, releasing an explosion that sent Perseus flying hundreds of feet into the air.

The last thing he saw was a large sea of blue, then, everything went black.

**-Theseus- **

They ran. Ran as fast as they could. They ran until they were out of breath, and sprinted the rest of the way to Hephaustus's workshop. They didn't stop when the entire labyrinth was being destroyed by an earthquake, nor did they stop to wonder why it felt like the entire world was on fire.

Theseus didn't dare to look behind him, fearful of what he might see. The tremors all around them suggested they were caught in an earthquake, however, the blistering heat told him they were still in a volcano.

While running, Theseus came to a realization: Orpheus was an idiot. It's not that hard to keep your head straight. Albeit Orpheus had a lot more at stake than a few nerves, so maybe it's not too fair to judge.

They reached the large circular door to Hehaestus's workshop and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Suddenly, the door opened itself, revealing a wide eyed God of Fire. "What have you done?"

**-0-**

Hephaestus led them inside and pressed a few buttons on his work table. The same wall of screens from before flipped out from behind the shutters, this time showing hundreds of different news stations.

Each channel seemed crazier than the last. It was as if the apocalypse had started in the few hours they were in the volcano. Mount St Helens had erupted. Hurricanes ravaged the coast. Tsunamis decimated every city from Vancouver to San Diego.

"Mortals are panicking. The gods are panicking. Olympus has been flipped upside down, lad. What. Happened." Hephaestus pleaded.

Theseus told him everything. How telkhines had taken over the forge. How they planned to remake Kronos's scythe. Everything up to Percy telling them to run.

Hephaestus stroked his beard, unintentionally putting out a few fires. "I must report this to the council…."

"What about our deal?" Theseus asked. "You said you would tell us how to navigate the labyrinth."

"Ah. Yes. Our deal." Hephaestus suddenly frowned. "We had a deal?"

"Yes, uh, sir. We did." Theseus wasn't sure whether the god was being serious or not. Surely a god can't suffer from short-term memory-loss. "You said if we gave you information, you'd help us on our quest."

"Ah." Hephaestus scratched his chin for a few moments. "A deal's a deal, I suppose. You'll need a clear-sighted mortal to guide you through the maze."

The Forge God let out an undignified humph. "A mortal," he mocked. "I'd rather use a machine any day. Can't trust anything you didn't build with your own hands."

"Lord Hephaestus," Annabeth said. "Did Percy survive?"

The thought hadn't even occurred to Theseus. Percy always seemed so invincible that he didn't even question whether he would make it or not - Theseus had half expected for Percy to be right behind them, running away from an explosion like he was in an action movie.

"I'm no god of the dead, but…" Hephaestus glanced at the screens showing Mount St. Helens. "His chances aren't very high."

A cloud of dread settled over the two. Before they could even fully comprehend Hephaestus's words, a golden light enveloped them, forcing their eyes shut. When the light died down, they were back at camp, standing on top of a table, Theseus's foot halfway stuck in Clarisse's pizza.

**-Perseus-**

Perseus woke up feeling like an atomic bomb had exploded in his face. His skin burned, his throat was as dry as sand, and every bone in his body felt broken multiple times over - not the best feeling to wake up to.

Above him, he saw a blue sky and trees. He heard fountains gurgling, and smelled juniper, cedar and a bunch of other sweet-scented plants. In the distance, he could also hear waves gently lapping on a rocky shore.

For a second, Perseus thought he had died, but he knew better - Hades could barely design the Underworld, much less a blue sky.

Perseus tried to sit up, but his muscles screamed in response. He hadn't felt like this since he was forced to carry the sky.

"Stay still," a girl's voice said. "You're too weak to rise - I'm surprised you're even awake."

A bronze spoon hovered over him and a liquid was dribbled into his mouth. The drink soothed his throat and left a taste of honey and sesame seeds - Nectar of the gods. Suddenly, a woman's face appeared above him.

She had almond eyes and caramel-colored hair braided over one shoulder. Her face told him she was seventeen, but her eyes showed thousands of years of life.

She began singing, and Perseus's pain melted away. She was working magic, he realized. He could feel the words sink into his skin, and his body started repairing itself.

"Who are you?" Perseus croaked.

"Rest now," she said. "Rest and heal. No harm can come to you here. I am Calypso."

Perseus's brain was screaming at him. He recognized that name. But his consciousness was already slipping away from him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

**-0-**

The next time he woke up he was in a cave. Perseus looked around, mildly impressed; as far as caves went, this wasn't bad.

Each part of the cave was separated by silk sheets. Against one wall stood a large loom and harp. Against another were shelves full of neatly stacked jars of fruit preserves.

There was a fireplace built into the cave wall, and a pot bubbling over the flames. Something was cooking, and it smelled good enough to appease even the gods. Like beef stew.

Perseus sat up, trying to ignore the soreness in his muscles. He looked down at himself, sure that his entire body would be covered in scars - even more so than before. To his surprise, his skin seemed fine. In fact, many of his old wounds had faded away.

"Powerful magic…." he mused.

He was bare-footed, wearing a white cotton shirt and cotton drawstring pants that definitely weren't his. In a moment of panic, Perseus frantically searched for Anaklusmos. As always, he found it in his pocket.

He clutched the pen in his hand. If one thing had survived the explosion, he was glad it was this.

Perseus slowly made his way out of the cave. He had a lot of questions, and he hoped Calypso could help answer them.

Perseus's brow furrowed. Calypso. He recognized the name. His mother had told him a story about her when he was a kid, but he wasn't paying much attention then - it wasn't the most interesting myth in the world.

The cave opened into a green meadow. On his left was a grove of cedar trees, and an impressive garden stood to his right. In the meadow, four fountains gurgled, each spitting water out of stone satyrs. Straight ahead, the grass sloped down to a rocky beach.

Perseus's eyes narrowed. Down at the beach, Calypso stood talking to a shimmering figure - a _golden_ figure. They appeared to be arguing.

Perseus hobbled his way down to the beach, cursing his stiff legs. The grass had turned to gravel, and he was forced to look down to keep his balance. When Perseus looked back up, the apparition was gone.

Calypso brushed at her eyes like she had been crying.

"Well," she said, trying for a smile. "The sleeper finally wakes."

"Who was that?" Perseus recoiled at the sound of his own voice - he sounded like he'd swallowed a radioactive frog.

"Oh… just a messenger," she said. "How do you feel?"

"Like telkhines performed acupuncture on my back," he mumbled. "How did I get here? Where am I?

"You landed in the water, just there." She pointed across the beach. "I don't know how you survived. The water seemed to cushion your fall. As to where you are, you are on Ogygia."

Perseus rubbed his temples, trying to remember anything about Ogygia, but nothing came up. "That's not near America, is it?"

Calypso laughed, a soft but melodious sound that calmed Perseus's nerves.

"It isn't near anything, brave one," she said, still laughing. "Ogygia is my phantom island. It exists by itself, everywhere and nowhere. You can heal here in safety."

Perseus immediately threw the idea out the window. "I can't stay. There's a war. I must return back home."

"Rest first. You're no use to anyone in your current state."

Her words flowed over him, and Perseus realized how tired he was.

Maybe…." he said through a yawn. "Maybe you're right."

Perseus walked back up the slope. He would've fallen multiple times if Calypso hadn't been there to prop him up.

Feeling his eyes beginning to shut themselves, Perseus lowered himself against the nearest object - a cedar tree - and dozed off.

**-0-**

When he woke, it was night, but he wasn't sure if it was the same night, or many days later.

Perseus found himself still propped up against the cedar tree, and he was glad for it; the stars were out, and they were brilliant.

In the back of his mind, Perseus noticed Calypso to his right, working in her garden, but he tried not to pay her any attention.

Perseus simply sat there, watching the stars shine across the night sky, reminiscing on the nights he and his mother did the same thing when he was a boy.

Near the southern horizon, he could see a new constellation, and felt Anaklusmos become heavy in his pocket. He grabbed the pen and began absentmindedly twirling it in his hand.

"Someone's awake."

Perseus brought his eyes back to the earth. In his mind, there were only a handful of naturally beautiful things in the world: the sea, the stars, and the sunrise. Since his arrival in Ogygia, Perseus had added Calypso to that short list.

He wasn't sure what it was about her. Whether it was the way she held herself, the simplicity in the way she dressed, the way she seemed to glow in the moonlight, or even the kindness she had shown him. She just was. She didn't try to be, and she didn't need to.

Perseus turned his head back to the sky. Those were dangerous thoughts.

"What are you looking at?" Calypso said as she sat down next to him.

He spared her a glance, drinking in the sight of her before turning away once again. "I'm trying to find Ursa Major."

"Ursa Major?"

Perseus found the constellation and pointed it out to her, explaining its story and how it came to be.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Calypso shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I haven't left this island in a long time."

"Why not?"

She looked down. "It is my punishment."

Punishment? "For what? What did you do?"

The idea that Calypso had done something to deserve punishment seemed impossible to him. As far as he could tell, she wouldn't harm a fly.

"I? I did nothing. But my father did a great deal. His name is Atlas."

Realization dawned on him. He wanted to berate her for supporting a Titan, but then he realized how hypocritical it would've been.

"I don't agree with the gods' idea of 'justice,'" Perseus finally said. "But if living on an island paradise was punishment, I might go side with the Titans."

Calypso studied him for a long time. Her eyes were sad.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Are you healed yet? Do you think you'll be ready to leave soon?"

"What?" Perseus moved his arms and legs. They were still stiff, and he wouldn't be using his powers for a while. "Why? Do you want me gone?"

"I…" Her voice broke. "I'll see you in the morning."

She ran off to the beach. Perseus was too confused to do anything but watch her disappear into the dark.

_**Much Later**_

Just as he'd done many times before, Perseus found himself at the beach, staring out at the seemingly endless body of water ahead of him.

Being near water usually helped clear his mind, it usually emptied his thoughts. However, whether it was because there was no saltwater, or because this was a battle he simply couldn't ignore, Perseus found no solace in his father's element.

His mind was in turmoil, warring with itself. Fighting over what he wanted, and what was required of him - a classic duel between duty and desire.

He _should've_ tried to leave Ogygia a long time ago. Perseus knew he should've - he's had more than enough time to recover. But he didn't.

He _should've_ tried to return to the fighting. It was what he swore to do millennia ago. But he didn't want to go.

_If I truly had to leave, then why hasn't anyone come for me? Perseus argued weakly._ _Perhaps the Fates put me here? Perhaps they're rewarding me for all I've done._

Perseus scoffed at the mere thought, the Fates had never rewarded anyone. They're cruel in nature, just like all the lives they've sewn.

No matter what he told himself, no matter what he felt, Perseus wished he had never come to Ogygia. Before the island, his duties aligned with his desires: his choices had clarity. Or, at least he thought they did.

"Are you okay?"

To say the sudden noise hadn't scared him was like saying Zeus was a fair ruler - a blatant lie.

"I'm fine," he said after a moment of hesitation.

Calypso simply raised an eyebrow and looked past him. Perseus followed her gaze and realized he wasn't going to be lying his way out of this one.

Gray clouds had started forming overhead, casting a shadow over Ogygia. Thunder quickly illuminated the now sun-blocked world. The tides rose higher and higher, seeking to snatch the lightning dancing across the sky.

He saw all of this, but made no attempt to quell the impending storm, even as rain began pouring down in droves. "The sea reacts to how I'm feeling," he explained.

He looked her in the eyes, and for a moment, he was in the eye of the storm. All of the answers came to him. But as fast as the moment came, it disappeared, leaving Perseus in the middle of a hurricane.

"And what are you feeling?" Calypso asked.

Perseus, lacking a better answer, gestured wildly to the thunderstorm around them. Calypso didn't seem to understand.

"Why don't you tell me in the morning?" Calypso began pulling at a strand of her hair - a nervous habit of hers. "Dawn is the best time to make decisions."

Perseus nodded but said nothing. He turned back to the storm, embracing the chaos, trying to make sense of it all.

Calypso momentarily appeared at his side, squeezing his hand for a second before walking away, likely seeking shelter from the rain.

Long after Calypso left, Perseus still stood there. The beating in his heart pounding like hail on ice. His mind raced, and the storm continued to rage around him.

Dawn could not come faster.

**-0-**

The sun rose, but the war continued.

Perseus hadn't slept yet - he couldn't. A majority of his night was spent pacing and pondering - weighing his options.

The weather had calmed hours ago, Perseus knew what he wanted, but he didn't know if he could bring himself to do it.

There were a lot of factors going into his decision, Theseus and Annabeth being one.

He loved those two like the siblings he never had, but returning to the mortal world would only cause him pain. He'd become more attached, and when he outlived them - like everyone else in his life - he'd only be left with another hole in his heart. But perhaps some things were worth the pain….

Then there was Calypso.

Perseus had never met anyone like her. He didn't know how long he'd been on the island, but Perseus found himself enjoying every second he spent with her.

His thoughts were interrupted by soft footsteps in the sand. Perseus met Calypso's eyes and the butterflies in his stomach began fluttering ever so faster.

"I think you already know why I've been out here," Perseus said.

"I do." There was a crack in her voice, imperceivable to most, but Perseus wasn't most.

Every scenario started running through his head, every outcome of what she could say next, each one worse than the last.

"I promised myself I wouldn't ask you this," Calypso said. "But, please, stay."

The corners of Perseus's mouth twitched upwards.

She began rambling. "You can get away from all of the wars you've told me about. All of the prophecies and battles. The gods, the Titans and monsters. Just you and me."

As she spoke, a smile quickly broke out on Perseus's face. "I think I would like that."

Tears began to well up in Calypso's eyes, and Perseus would be lying if he said he didn't shed one himself. She took one step forward, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of light.

"I had hoped you would have more sense than that, Perseus."

The light died down and Perseus's vision was restored. "Helios?"

He hadn't seen his friend in years, and now he shows up?

The Titan of the Sun was in full battle regalia, and a chest full of Perseus's old armour stood at his feet.

It didn't take long for Perseus to figure out what was happening. "No."

"Yes," Helios countered. "Your vacation is over, Perseus. Your presence is required at Camp Half-Blood."

Perseus immediately uncapped Anaklusmos, his anger rising. "I'm not leaving."

A golden light began emitting from Helios's eyes. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter."

Perseus looked to Calypso, she was sobbing, but she had a look of acceptance, as if she already knew this would happen.

"Go," she said. "Go be the hero. This is my fate."

Perseus's entire world was collapsing in a matter of seconds. Not knowing what else to do, he swung.

His sword passed through Helios's neck without resistance, sending Perseus stumbling forward: it was only an apparition.

A feeling of defeat washed over him, replacing his anger. He couldn't fight him, and Helios was never one to change his mind. There was no way out of this.

"What of Selene? What did she have to say on this?" It was a weak move, but it was the only play he had left.

"She doesn't know I'm here."

The anger returned, stronger than it had ever been. The ground began to shake beneath their feet, but Perseus reeled it in, gritting his teeth. There was a time and place for everything. Here wasn't it.

Perseus picked up Leonidas's shield from the chest, his eyes flashing dangerous shades of silver and sea green. "I will remember this, Helios."

A mixture of emotions was running through him - betrayal, hate - but one dominated the rest: fury. A rage that wrapped its way around his heart. A fury he hadn't felt since Persia.

"I know you will." Helios looked down at him with pity, but Perseus didn't want any of it.

"You're a soldier, Perseus. You don't get to live the easy life." He stopped listening.

Perseus donned the rest of his armour. Seeing he was ready, Helios waved his hand, and Ogygia became another memory of Perseus's long past.

He didn't even get to say goodbye….

_**Camp Half-Blood**_

Together, Theseus and Annabeth charged at Kampê. He tried to distract the jailer as Annabeth went for a strike, but Kampê easily blocked both of their attacks, expertly wielding her two swords.

They were forced to back away from the poison clouds emitting from her blades. The stuff was like acid, burning Theseus's eyes and preventing air from reaching his lungs.

They charged again and almost landed a hit on her, slipping through the monster's guard, but a huge bear's head lashed out at them, and he had to stumble backwards to avoid being bitten.

The next thing Theseus knew, he was on his back and Kampê's forelegs were firmly planted on his and Annabeth's chests, holding them down. Hundreds of snakes slithered right above him, hissing like laughter.

Kampê raised her green-tinged swords, and Theseus thought it to be all over.

Then, from behind him, something howled. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending her flying sideways. Mrs. O' Leary stood over them, snarling and snapping at Kampê.

"Good girl!" Said a familiar voice. Daedalus was fighting his way out of the labyrinth. Another familiar face appeared - standing taller than the Laistrygonians, with a hundred rippling arms, each holding a chunk of rock.

"Briares!" Tyson shouted in wonder.

"Hail, little brother!" Briares said. "Stand firm!"

With Mrs. O' Leary out of the way, Briares launched a volley of boulders at Kampê. The rocks seemed to enlarge as they flew through the air. There were so many it looked like the earth had learned how to fly.

Where Kampê stood a moment before was a pile of boulders the size of Zeus's Fist. The only sign that she had ever existed was the twin swords sticking out through the rock.

Suddenly, it got cold... really cold. Cold to the point Theseus had to hold back a shiver. Emerging from the labyrinth was a man covered head to toe in ancient Spartan regalia, silver eyes glowing under his helmet. Percy?

Theseus didn't want to get his hopes up, but he didn't know anyone else who could fight like that.

The Spartan marched into battle, a red hue surrounding him, decimating everything in his path. When the monsters stopped challenging him, he sought them out himself.

It was at the same time the most awesome and terrifying thing Theseus had ever seen.

Anything that wasn't cut down by a sword had its windpipe crushed by a shield.

Monsters ran away in fear, but they didn't get far before bursting into clouds of dust, a silvery fog hovering where they once stood.

A cheer went up from the campers, but the monsters weren't done. A dracaena yelled, "Ssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!"

Apparently that was more terrifying than they were. The giants surged forward in a last ditch attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to his hind legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward.

"No!" Theseus yelled, but he was too far away to help.

Then, it happened. Grover opened his mouth and let out the most horrific sound Theseus had ever heard. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times - the sound of pure fear.

As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran, trampling over one another to get into the labyrinth.

Arrows sprouted out the backs of the fleeing monsters - most prominently the telkhines. But Theseus was more focused on who was firing the arrows.

Annabeth appeared at his side as Theseus walked. "Do you think it's him?" He whispered.

Annabeth looked at him like he was a moron - a look he'd become accustomed to. "Who else would it be?"

"But Hephaestus said —"

"The gods aren't always right, Theseus," Percy said, listening in on their conversation.

Theseus felt his face flush, but he jogged up to his brother and hugged him nonetheless. Percy embraced him and Annabeth for a second before pulling away.

Theseus looked up to him, but all he could see were the silver irises glowing under Percy's helmet, which still creeped him out.

"You were gone for _weeks_. Where were you?" Annabeth asked. Theseus found himself nodding - he wanted to know as well.

Percy's eyes dimmed a few shades, turning from a bright silver to a sad grey. "I was happy, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked like she wanted to know more, but Percy cut her off. "I believe you have a wounded centaur to tend to."

Theseus had nearly forgotten about Chiron. He and Annabeth whirled around and saw their mentor being treated by a child of Apollo.

They ran over to him, and when Theseus looked back, Percy was nowhere to be found.

**Three Weeks Later**

**-Atlantis-**

Royal Guards lay bloody and bruised at every step to the underwater palace, a trail of bodies leading all the way up to the gates. The only guards still able to hold a sword were inside the palace itself.

Poseidon sat in his throne, trident in hand, waiting for the threat to reach him.

"Father, are you sure this is the wisest course of action?" Triton said.

Poseidon nodded firmly. "This is not an attack from Oceanus, I would be able to sense it. No. This is something - someone - seeking me out."

Triton looked to argue, but stopped, knowing nothing he could say would change his mind.

"Delphin!" Poseidon called. Immediately, his loyal friend came swimming over.

"Yes, Milord?"

Poseidon rolled his eyes at the pleasantries. Normally he'd tell him off, but now wasn't the time.

"Keep the army at their stations, and send a contingent of the guard out to the city. I want to make sure the people are safe. If possible, get any injured treated immediately."

"It will be done." Delphin set off, shouting orders as he went.

Now, all Poseidon had to do was wait.

As each second passed, Poseidon's grip on his Trident increased, turning his knuckles as white as a mortal ghost. Fortunately, he wasn't forced to wait long before his palace doors were thrown open.

The sound of weapons being drawn filled the room, but Poseidon raised his hand, preventing a slaughter.

He watched as a man - a mortal - marched up to his throne, the unmistakable silver eyes of his son, Perseus, glowing under a bronze helmet.

Poseidon looked into the silver orbs and nearly shivered. They were cold, merciless, like the deepest trenches of the sea - a far cry from the soft, sea green he remembered seeing thousands of years ago.

Perseus stood in front of Poseidon's throne, defiant in his approach, ignoring the spears pressed against his neck. "I heard you were looking for soldiers."

**There's the chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed it.**

**First off, I would like to apologize for taking so long. At the very least I should've given y'all a heads up, but I didn't, and I'm truly sorry for that. **

**While the updates will become scarcer (these chapters often consist of 8k words, that's not easy to write in a week or two - but I will try), do not think I have given up on the story. I love writing, and knowing that my story could put a smile on someone's face - or even cause a laugh - is more than enough motivation for me.**

**But y'all didn't come here to read any of that, back to the story!**

**While I'm trying to follow the books as best as possible, there are many scenes that have little to no relevance that I decided to cut out (take the Sphinx for example). I will often mention it in some way or form, but not everything will be included in these chapters.  
**

**Moving back to the actual story, as you've read, Perseus is now in Atlantis, soon to join the war effort. While I believe writing his experiences underwater leading up to TLO could be fun, I'm unsure if it would be enjoyable to read (lmk in a PM or review what y'all think).**

**That's all I have to say for this chapter, I hope to see y'all in the next!**

**Sincerely,**

**IDon'tWantAName51**

**P.S: ****For those wondering, when Perseus drank Nectar, he tasted pasteli. It's an Ancient Greek dessert with great taste and great nutritional value**

**P.P.S: A huge thank you goes out to my beta, she's amazing!**


	13. Sorry

First off I would like to say sorry to you all. Y'all deserve better than a hiatus, but I just can't write at the moment.

I could go on and on about the stresses and events I have in life, my struggles with writing the story, but I doubt you'd want to hear that. It's all just excuses. The simple answer is I can't write right now, and I can't repay you all for the kindness and support you've shown me.

Before I started writing here I hated it, but y'all gave me a passion and hobby I love, and I wish I could pay back the favor, but I simply can't right now.

For the fans of my writing: thank you. If I'm granted the opportunity, I'll start writing another story before I return to The Eclipse. If you have ideas for a story you'd like to see, leave them in a review or PM, it might help me kickstart my writing. I'll be responding to messages.

Goodbye, for now.

-IDon'tWantAName51


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